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Our Coventry Blitz display at this years British Invasion included a potted history of Singer's involvement in the war effort. We placed museum placard stands at each corner of the display that carried the following story and photos:
Luftwaffe target 73-21 was the Singer factory in Coventry and in nearly every air raid some portion of Singer’s network of factories was hit. On November 14th & 15th, ‘Blitz Night’ Coventry was systematically flattened by some of the intense bombing of the war.
Singer produced a number of items in support of the war effort. These included parts for Spitfire, Wellington and Halifax aircraft, Hobson carburettors, shell cases, helmets and, most notably, more than 367,000 “SM’ ( Singer Motors ) jerry cans which proved to be a decisive factor in the victory in North Africa. It is estimated that over 14 million items were produced in support of military contracts, a good portion of which was sub-contract work for Roll-Royce and Alvis.
Substantial damage to the Singer factories in both Coventry and Birmingham would hamper the company during peacetime and slow repayment from the government meant the company never fully recovered.
Look forward to a full report on our activities with lots of photos in issue 5-2010 if NASOC NEWS!
