THE WAR YEARS

THE fifth decade of the Company's history was overshadowed by the Second World War, which engaged the whole strength of the country. For six years the works was entirely devoted to furthering the war effort, but as the full story of its Contribution to Victory has been told in the book of that name it will only be summarized here.

First tribute must be paid to those in the services. Though electrical engineering was a reserved industry, no fewer than 4086 men and 148 women went from M-V to the armed forces. Over a thousand .were mobilized in August 1939, being members of the Volunteer Reserves or the Territorial Army; indeed Territorials from the works, mostly in the Forty-second Divisional Engineers and Signals, were already in camp when war broke out. Women also joined the Nursing Services, the Red Cross and St. John Organization, the Forestry Commission, and the Land Army.

Service honours and awards were many and varied, the total of fifty-seven decorations including a George Cross and bar. Two hundred and five men laid down their lives, and a Memorial Book in which their names and regiments are inscribed will, when all information is available, be placed in the entrance hall of the main offices at Trafford Park.

THE WORKS AT WAR
The Company brought all its technical resources to bear on the problems of an engineers' war, and some of the new developments made scientific as well as military history. A great manufacturing programme was undertaken at Trafford Park and Sheffield under the leadership of G. E. Bailey, and extensive research work under A. P. M. Fleming. Many M-V engineers and scientists were put out to work in Government departments. For the atomic bomb project the Company not only designed and built prototype machines but also released T. E. Allibone, P. P. Starling, and others for work in the United States.

Public tribute has been paid in the House of Commons to the work of Allibone and Starling and to that of J. D. Craggs, N. Eice, H. Smethurst, and M. E. Haine,