Construction Work of the Air Ministry Depot Type Storage and Maintenance Engineering Buildings at Burtonwood Repair Depot Site Burtonwood (Known as BRD Site)Photos Credit to British Pathe
There was a large number of civilian personnel during WW2 and each had to have their own BRD passbook. Below is a genuine example of one.
BRD site is basically a factory for aircraft maintenance and repair. The depot workshops included facilities for the modification and repair of air frames, overhauling and testing of engines, variable pitch props and woodworking and metal work. Air frames were delivered on board ship across the Atlantic and once they were at BRD site, they were modified and assembled on site. They were then towed by tractor to the airfield for flight testing. Due to the difficulty of getting spare parts from the US, BRD had its own production facilities to manufacture anything that may be required. Mary Ann site was part of BRD site. Large 4 engined bombers were repaired there because they could not enter BRD site due to their sheer size, although the engines and systems were maintained at BRD site. Smaller aircraft, such as P-38, P-51 and P-47 were assembled on BRD site.
Burtonwood Repair Depot (known as BRD site) was a factory site built to the South East of the airfield and was erected in 1939 & then occupied in 1940 under the control of the Air Ministry (Not the RAF) The site was later taken over by the Ministry of Aircraft production (MAP) and in 1942 was transferred to the USAAF. The main entrance to BRD site was gate 9 sited at the South End of Burtonwood Road opposite site 8. The headquarter buildings was sited just inside the main gate (9). 1 Type 'A' aircraft hangar was constructed on BRD site. This type of hangar was designed in 1924. The hangar featured a steel frame with longitudinal ridge and valley trusses for the roof with reinforced concrete and brick infillings for the walls. The span was 122 feet and the length was 249 feet. The hangar and associated workshops covered 722,000 square feet. Along the rear of BRD site were over 30 aircraft engine test rigs running 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The sound of these engines could be heard up to 2 miles away. The site also had its own Railway Sidings, Locomotive shed & a short branch line connecting into the main Liverpool to Manchester Railway Line. Fairey Aviation Company was the parent Company to BRD site. On September 1940 Curtiss Mohawks arrived there in early 1941 & also at this time technicians from Brewster, Curtiss & Douglas Aircraft Companies arrived there. 4 Subsidiary firms operated on BRD Ltd under Technical guidance being Rovers Radials, Rollinson Radials, Sunbeam Liquid Cooled & British Overseas Airways Corporation. The site was officially handed complete control to the USAAF on the 21st of October 1943. The Air Ministry built 10 equipment type depot stores buildings on BRD site for the use of warehouses and engineering workshops. They were built in parallel rows 5 to each row. Each building having 10 smaller type buildings attached to them, 5 on each side coupled together forming continuous rows of workshops. 10 equipment-type Depot buildings were built at BRD Site. They formed 2 parallel rows two sets of 4 coupled together with 2 singles at one end forming continuous rows of workshops and warehouses. They were constructed to air ministry drawing number. 10648/381 of The 10 Equipment Buildings at BRD Site
During the late 1950s, this building was used as the USAF Dependents School, after moving from Site 1
In the foreground is gate 11 which is the north entrance into the BRD siteBehind the gate is Burtonwood RoadIn the far background is gate 12 leading to the Airfield and site 8
Shoots with the vent to the right
The Gas Decontamination Centers were also known as Gas Cleansing Stations
The photo shows a first aid squad, laden with first aid packs, water bottles, and a stretcher, leaving the first aid post at the double to attend an incident at the Burtonwood Repair Depot on 2 June 1942
The caption on the reverse of the photograph reads:“The male nurse in industry. Pix shows Mr. C.A. Kissack (Chief Warden, A.R.P.) lecturing defense workers on gas decontamination at the BRD Site on 2 June 1942"
A group photo of Stanley L Kaminski and work friends of Number 1 Maintenance Division Section 16 at the BRD sitePhoto credit to Stanley L Kaminski of the 8th USAAF
Reduction gear cases for radial engines in the foreground and induction manifolds and Radial Engine Cylinder Heads in the Background
Note: In the foreground of the photo are crash test dummies.
far right (anyone know any of the other guys?)
The school was under the control of the MAP Ministry of aircraft production that had three courses being hydraulics, American engines, and electrics. At first, the school had 58 students with 11 instructors, and by early 1943 the school was running ten courses on turbo-superchargers, cyclone and wasp engines, P-47and B-17 airframes and electrics. Other training courses included pilot handling, flight engineers, even with the arrival of the United States army air force the training school continued to train their students the, number 21 school of technical training was disbanded on 16 April 1946. Students of Number 21 school of technical training inside the workshops.
outside one of the air ministry depot type workshops at BRD site.
The record site plan (above) shows the location of hangar AD-2. At the end of World War 2 the personnel of each hangar and workshop received a copy of a specially prepared book of their work while service at BAD site before returning back home, very similar to a college Year book. Many thanks to Terry Kekic and his brother from the USA for spending a very long time scanning and actually sending a physical copy to us. Terry Kekic's father Frank Georg Kekik was one of those personnel at BAD and served there during World War 2 and the following pages are from his personal copy of that book.
(Please note: Because the building numbers on the record site plan (that we have) are of poor quality, we have re-numbered the most relevant buildings to the one's shown below)
Burtonwood Air Depot to the United States 8th Air Forces Service Command 15th July 1942 Building number 8 on the left of the flag is the Burtonwood repair Depot site Headquarters, during the late 1950s this building become the United States Air Force Dependents School having moved from site 1
From the Level Crossing Gates (no longer there) The two green posts on each side of the footpath supported the gate across the railway line which ran along the rout of the footpath and entered site 8 to the rear of where the picture was taken.
The branch line obviously ran in between the fence posts
The 2 posts can be seen in the distance where the level crossing used to be. Also, note the 3 GPO cable duct chamber covers.
Pedestrian Crossing Footpath During operation the gate was closed to pedestrians
Branch railway line Pedestrian crossing GatesThe gates to the Left are towards the main lineThe Gates to the Right are towards site 8 at RAF BurtonwoodPhoto Credit to Walter Miller
A signal box was sited here in WW2 to control entry into the BRD site. The branch line had large volumes of traffic in WW2. The signal box was closed on the 24th of October 1965 and replaced by a 3-lever ground frame released by Widnes East. The ground frame was out of use by May 1993 when the Airbase closed.Looking East at the branch line JunctionTo the left is the branch line signalThe ground frame is behind the Photographerphoto credit to Anthony Mc Donnell in 1970
The end of the fencing can be seen at the bottom of the picture.
A signal box was sited here in WW2 to control entry into BRD site. The branch line had large volumes of traffic in WW2. The signal box was closed on the 24th of October 1965 and replaced by a 3 lever ground frame released by Widnes East. The ground frame was out of use by May 1993 when the base closed
The tall building behind the crane is the locomotive shed. The bridge in the centre of the photo is going across the main Manchester to Liverpool railway line and beyond the bridge on the horizon you can see Lever Brothers/Crossfields building.
All the roads on this new estate have an American connection. This for instance is named Ohio Grove & this photo taken in 2014 by me & Gary is roughly where the scrapyard was back in WW2
The Manchester to Liverpool railway line can be seen across the bottom of the photo the railway bridge and locomotive shed are visible where Ohio grove is today.
Pratt & Whitney 1830's Aircraft Radial Engines Running on Their Test Blocks on BRD Site During WW2. They ran 24 hours a day 7 days a week in the open air regardless of the weather
1947 - Note the Camouflage on the Workshop Rooftops
(Water Injection Pressure Testing)
The quality of fuel in England may have been poor, TEL (tetraethyl lead) fuel additive appeared to condense inside engine induction manifolds, causing detonation (destructive explosion of fuel mixture rather than controlled burning). Improved turbo supercharger intercoolers appeared on the J model P-38. These devices greatly reduced manifold temperatures but this encouraged TEL condensation in manifolds during cruise flight and increased spark plug fouling. Using water injection to minimize detonation might have reduced these engine problems. Both the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and the North American P-51 Mustang (see NASM collection) were fitted with water injection systems as well.
Communication Aircraft Being Unpacked and Assembled
Entered RAF Service 1939- 1945 Maryland Mark I AR7381945
Maryland Mark I, AR738, on the ground at the Burtonwood Repair Depot, Lancashire, following assembly. AR738 was one of fifty Marylands from a French Government contract which was acquired by the British Purchasing Commission in the United States following the surrender of France and designated the Maryland Mark I. Many of these aircraft were employed on strategic reconnaissance in Malta and the Middle East but, although AR738 was flown to No. 107 Maintenance Unit at Kasfareet, Egypt, there is no record of its operational use in the theatre. It later crashed on landing at El Firdan, Egypt, in November 1942. Photographer unknown Photograph credit to the IWM for non-commercial use.
One of the original batch of Martin 167Fs was ordered by the French government and diverted to the RAF after the surrender in 1940, AR703 undertook to handle trials at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, before being despatched to the Middle East for operational service. The Photo was taken by an official RAF photographer Photograph credit to the IWM for non-commercial use Havoc Mark I (Turbinlite) AW400
Havoc Mark I (Turbinlite), AW400, on the ground at Burtonwood Repair Depot, Lancashire. This aircraft served with: Nos. 1422 and 1454 (Turbinlite) Flights and with 1459 (Turbinlite) Flight/No. 538 Squadron RAF, before transfer to the USAAF in April 1943. The Photo was taken by an official RAF photographer. Photograph credit to the IWM for non-commercial use
Vigilant, HL429, at No. 37 Maintenance Unit, Burtonwood, Lancashire, following assembly by the Aircraft Storage Unit. HL429 was tested by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment before embarking on a long period of service with: No. 651 (AOP) Squadron RAF No. 43 Operational Training Unit No. 83 Group Communications Flight The 2nd Tactical Air Force Communications Squadron and finally with the BAFO Communications Wing in Germany before being struck off charge in March 1946. The photo was taken by an official RAF photographer. Photograph credit to the IWM for non-commercial use
Baltimore Mark I, AG688, at the Burtonwood Repair Depot, Lancashire, before despatch to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, for flight tests. The photo was taken by an official RAF photographer Photograph credit to the IWM.for non-commercial use Mohawk Mark IV BJ442
Mohawk Mark IV, BJ442, on the ground at Burtonwood, Lancashire, where it was employed in defense of the airfield following its assembly there, November 1940. This aircraft was one of a number of Hawk 75A-4s originally ordered for the French Air Force, which was taken over by the RAF following the collapse of France. In 1942, BJ442 was delivered to India for service with No. 155 Squadron RAF. The photo was taken by an official RAF photographer. Photograph credit to the IWM.for non-commercial use Boston Mark III (Intruder), W8325
The aircraft served with No. 418 Squadron RCAF until 11 April 1943 when it failed to return from a night intruder mission over Melun-Villaroche, France. The photo was taken by the Ministry of Aircraft Production [MAP] Photograph credit to the IWM.for non-commercial use. Boston Mark III (Intruder) W8292
This aircraft served with No. 23 Squadron RAF and with No. 418 Squadron RCAF before its destruction during an air test in January 1943. The photo was taken by the Ministry of Aircraft Production [MAP] Photograph credit to the IWM for non-commercial use. Havoc Mark II (Night Fighter) AH522
AH522 served with No. 85 Squadron RAF, followed by the Telecommunications Flying Unit with whom it was written off following a landing accident at Defford in November 1943. The photo was taken by the Ministry of Aircraft Production [MAP] Photograph credit to the IWM.for non-commercial use. Martin Maryland Mark I AR725
One of a batch of fifty aircraft taken over from a French contract after the German invasion, AR725 served with No. 203 Squadron RAF in the Middle East before crashing on a ferry flight to join No. 69 Squadron RAF in Malta. The photo was taken by an official RAF photographer Photograph credit to the IWM for non-commercial use Boston Mark II (Turbinlite) AH457
This aircraft served with No, 1422 (Night Fighter) Flight, 1457 (Fighter) Flight, and finally with No. 536 Squadron RAF. The photo was taken by the Ministry of Aircraft Production [MAP] Photograph credit to the IWM for non-commercial use Argus Mark I HM164
Argus Mark I, HM164, on the ground at the Burtonwood Repair Depot, Lancashire. After service with the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, the aircraft was transferred to the Air Transport Auxiliary. The photo was taken by an official RAF photographer. Photograph credit to the IWM for non-commercial use.