ICI Rocket Cartridge
Eley rocket Cartridge box and cartridge
Name/Title
ICI Rocket CartridgeEntry/Object ID
2025.1.491Description
12 bore cartridge for a shot gun, with original box.Context
In 1862 Scottish Victorian entrepreneur George Kynoch opened a 'percussion cap' factory at Witton in Birmingham, UK. By 1881 it had grown to be Britain's largest ammunition manufacturing company and in 1918 merged into Explosives Trades Ltd. 1920 Explosives Trades Ltd changed its name to Nobel Industries; Kynoch retained its own name. 1920 John Marston Ltd "the manufacturers of the world famous Sunbeam cycle and motorcycle" was purchased by Kynochs. 1923 Arthur Chamberlain resigned as chairman of the local Board and was replaced by Sir Harry McGowan who was also Chairman of Nobel Industries. The South African explosives interests were transferred elsewhere in the Nobel Industries organisation. The Witton activities of soap, candles, cycles and general engineering products were abandoned. The site's activities comprised effectively "the ammunition side" and "the metals side". Three departments at Kings Norton, especially involving strip, were re-opened to meet increasing demand. 1924 Three more electric melting furnaces were ordered. 1925 Investment was made "to fit up the old Machine Shop at Witton to undertake metallic work for sporting cartridges and metal sundries". Copper consumption soon reached 400 tons per month. Despite Eley being the senior partner in the area of sporting ammunition within Nobel Industries, Kynochs succeeded in persuading the Board of Nobels to concentrate all production on the Witton site. The transfer of plant and personnel from Eley's Waltham Abbey factory, and the transformation of production facilities at Witton, was a long and gradual process. The Eley name was preserved by renaming all Nobel sporting ammunition "Eley-Kynoch". 1926 A new company was formed: Lightning Fasteners to handle the zip fastener business. 1926 As part of Nobel Industries, the company became part of the newly formed Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI); the Witton factory continued as the ammunition manufacturing centre and became the centre of ICI Metals Division. The 1891 Buffalo Bill visit gets a mention in a history of Kynoch. Annie Oakley gave a ringing endorsement of the Company's sporting cartridges. "It is of great importance to me that I should have thoroughly reliable cartridges and I shall always use yours in preference to any others as I have great confidence in them."Category
Country & Rural activities, Guns equipment