Paul and Gray, Brisbane, Queensland, assisted the 81st Air Depot Group during WW2

PAUL AND GRAY
BRISBANE, QLD
HELPED THE 81ST AIR DEPOT GROUP
DURING WW2

Local firm, Paul and Gray, manufactured moulded plexiglass sheets for the 81st Air Depot Group in Brisbane, Queensland during WW2. They made cockpits, doors, gun turrets etc for B-17 Flying Fortresses, P-38 Airacobras, and B-25 Mitchell bombers.

Their initial staff of ten soon increased to nine men and sixteen women. They were all apprentices. They learnt their new skills very swiftly. They made models out of clay which were then used to make Plaster of Paris moulds. They would then heat the sheet of plexiglass to around 250 degrees Fahrenheit and stretch it over the mould. The plexiglass is imported from the USA in sheets that average 4ft x 3 ft.

They made B-25 gun turrets completely out of plexiglass doing away with the aluminium gun mount openings. Any waste plexiglass is melted down and some ethyldichloride is added to make a glue paste which is used for minor repair jobs.

The repair section would repair distorted and discoloured glass by buffing and sanding.