ROF Thorp Arch facts for kids

ROF Thorp Arch was a special factory in the United Kingdom during the Second World War. It was one of sixteen factories owned by the British government. These factories were called Royal Ordnance Factories. Their job was to "fill" weapons with explosives. Thorp Arch was a medium-sized factory, known as Filling Factory No. 9.

The factory was built near the River Wharfe in West Yorkshire, England. It was located north-east of the villages of Boston Spa and Thorp Arch. The town of Wetherby was about four miles to its south-east.

Making Weapons for War

Building and Production During Wartime

The Royal Ordnance Factory at Thorp Arch was built for the Ministry of Supply. Another government group, the Ministry of Works, helped manage the construction. The factory was connected to a railway line. This railway was used to bring building materials to the site. Later, it brought raw materials for making weapons. It also carried the finished weapons away from the factory.

Building work at Thorp Arch started on May 18, 1940. It was planned to be finished by the end of July 1941. The factory site was very large. It was split into different areas called "Filling Groups." Each group focused on making a specific type of ammunition. The factory made weapons for both the Army and the Royal Air Force. It is thought that the site had 619 buildings in total.

During the Second World War, Thorp Arch made many different kinds of weapons. It produced ammunition for light, medium, and heavy guns for the Army. It also made land mines and mortar shells. For the Royal Air Force, it produced medium and large bombs. The factory also made small ammunition for all three military branches, like 20 mm bullets. Some of these items were made in huge numbers, reaching millions or even hundreds of millions.

After the Wars

ROF Thorp Arch closed down two times. The first time was after the Second World War ended. It then reopened for a while. The factory finally closed for good in April 1958. This was four years after the Korean War ended. Its closure was part of a government plan to reduce the size of the British Army.

What is There Now?

Today, parts of the old factory site are used for different things. One large section is now the Thorp Arch Trading Estate. This is a business park with many companies. Other parts of the site are used by the British Library. They house the Northern Reading Room, Northern Listening Service, and Document Supply Centre. Another part of the site is a prison. It was first called HMP Thorp Arch, but now it is known as HMP Wealstun.

See also

• List of prisons in the United Kingdom
• List of Royal Ordnance Factories
• Filling Factories in the United Kingdom