BSA factory info and photos

[edbear2]

Apologies if seen before, but some great early period shots in the link, including the stock shop;

http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/BSA

ATB, Ed

[AC99]

Interesting pics. If you scroll down near bottom of photo list (beyond bicycles) there is a 1952 brochure for Cadet and Cadet Major air rifles and two 1954 brochures for Airsporter. I have got one of these original Airsporter brochures which BSA posted to me when I requested it during my school days although it is looking a bit worn now!

[Airsporterman]

BSA - another great british company long gone! (well apart from the Guns!)
Massive company in it's day though!

Airsporterman

[walnutfarmmick]

Among my treasures at home I have a BSA turbocharger, possibly dated 1956 - not a product I'd normally associate with them or, particularly, the period. At that time supercharging was far more common, either for higher performance vehicles or those operating at higher altitudes especially in South America.

Has anyone else come across such a thing?

ATVB, Mick

[edbear2]

Among my treasures at home I have a BSA turbocharger, possibly dated 1956 - not a product I'd normally associate with them or, particularly, the period. At that time supercharging was far more common, either for higher performance vehicles or those operating at higher altitudes especially in South America.

Has anyone else come across such a thing?

ATVB, Mick

Hi Mick, beg / steal / borrow or if you are lucky, buy a copy of "the other battle" (by Donovan Ward) being the history of BSA during WW2...It is a mind bending insight into the skills and variety of what they were capable of making, including parts for early jet engines and missiles, and the skill of the people there.... some brilliant stories including one of a workshop foreman who wrote everything on his sleeve or scraps of paper, but who designed a machine to machine turbine blades to incredible tolerances which the Americans could not get their heads around, and had asked BSA for advice as they were struggling, so sent a team to the factory.

When the American engineering delegation had been given the gen and shown what the problem was with their approach, they were asked if they needed anything else from BSA to help them when they returned, they pointed to the foreman in question and chimed "HIM"!

The production totals attained, and the dispersal of and setting up of new factories to avoid the raids are all brilliantly covered as well, and it is a real eye opener if you have not read it.

ATB, Ed

[walnutfarmmick]

Hi Mick, beg / steal / borrow or if you are lucky, buy a copy of "the other war" (by Donovan Ward) being the history of BSA during WW2...It is a mind bending insight into the skills and variety of what they were capable of making, including parts for early jet engines and missiles, and the skill of the people there.... some brilliant stories including one of a workshop foreman who wrote everything on his sleeve or scraps of paper, but who designed a machine to machine turbine blades to incredible tolerances which the Americans could not get their heads around, and had asked BSA for advice as they were struggling, so sent a team to the factory.

When the American engineering delegation had been given the gen and shown what the problem was with their approach, they were asked if they needed anything else from BSA to help them when they returned, they pointed to the foreman in question and chimed "HIM"!

The production totals attained, and the dispersal of and setting up of new factories to avoid the raids are all brilliantly covered as well, and it is a real eye opener if you have not read it.

ATB, Ed

Hi Ed,

Thanks for that. Could it be ' The Other Battle'? A bit pricey at £110 on Amazon. I'll have to hunt for a copy. It'll definitely go on the 'to do' list. As you may know I'm currently Downunder. A pal recommended ' Vulcan 706', the story of the Vulcans resurrected to go the Falklands. It was of special interest as I grew up, and still live, within earshot of Finningley, then home of V bombers and still housing the Uk's only flying Vulcan. 'Within earshot' was a bit of a mixed blessing like being within a stone's throw of a school! Did they have to be run up regularly like Tiger tanks whether flying or not? It seemed like it. I'm sure someone on here will know. Anyway 10 minutes on the interclacker got me a copy of the book which will be waiting when I get home.
I'm looking for a copy of FG Miles biography. He was the aircraft designer that went bust producing 'The 50/- Biro' which cheap imports killed. Where've we heard that before? He paid all his creditors what he owed them
(+ 10% ! ). the sort of integrity we could do with today, particularly in politics.

I've had a couple of good buys here - a straight-grip Webley and an Acvoke but left the Gat at $NZ 185! I'm currently considering a Mk I Webley pistol but wondering if they had so little faith in them that they must have known there'd be a Mk II along shortly because they printed Mk I on the box.

Any comments?

ATVB, Mick

[Abasmajor]

Hi Ed,

Thanks for that. Could it be ' The Other Battle'? A bit pricey at £110 on Amazon. I'll have to hunt for a copy. It'll definitely go on the 'to do' list. As you may know I'm currently Downunder. A pal recommended ' Vulcan 706', the story of the Vulcans resurrected to go the Falklands. It was of special interest as I grew up, and still live, within earshot of Finningley, then home of V bombers and still housing the Uk's only flying Vulcan. 'Within earshot' was a bit of a mixed blessing like being within a stone's throw of a school! Did they have to be run up regularly like Tiger tanks whether flying or not? It seemed like it. I'm sure someone on here will know. Anyway 10 minutes on the interclacker got me a copy of the book which will be waiting when I get home.
I'm looking for a copy of FG Miles biography. He was the aircraft designer that went bust producing 'The 50/- Biro' which cheap imports killed. Where've we heard that before? He paid all his creditors what he owed them
(+ 10% ! ). the sort of integrity we could do with today, particularly in politics.

I've had a couple of good buys here - a straight-grip Webley and an Acvoke but left the Gat at $NZ 185! I'm currently considering a Mk I Webley pistol but wondering if they had so little faith in them that they must have known there'd be a Mk II along shortly because they printed Mk I on the box.

Any comments?

ATVB, Mick

Hi Mick,

It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it as they say. Before I retired I worked for Thales Training & Simulation which is a Flight Simulation company formed after the amalgamation of the then two main UK simulator contractors, these being Rediffusion Simulation & Singer Link Miles. Singer Link Miles was formed from the old F.G.Miles (Beagle Aircraft) company based close to me at Shoreham airport. As I'm sure you are aware, F.G.Miles built many fine and innovative aircraft and I recall our canteen and conference rooms being decorated with black & white photographs of these great British aircraft. I also remember we installed a Jetstream flight simulator at RAF Finningley which provided many years of useful aircrew training.

I have been lucky enough to see the Vulcan fly a few times at the annual RAFA show at Shoreham, which brought back memories of the old 3 minute V Bomber scrambles we used to watch as part of the Farnborough Air Show. I believe it was standard practice at the time for V bombers to be placed on standby with engines running in order to be ready for immediate scramble.

With regard to the Webley pistol, don't be put off by Mk1 name as this was the traditional way British manufactures annotated their products at the time with no thought to imminent replacement. I have quite a few of these fine pistols and wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of the Webley range for informal target shooting of just as part of a collection. As a matter of interest, the later Mk2 Target was sold along side the MK1 and was really just a slightly more de-luxe version of the Mk1 until the much improved Senior appeared.

Regards

Brian

[walnutfarmmick]

Hi Mick,

It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it as they say. Before I retired I worked for Thales Training & Simulation which is a Flight Simulation company formed after the amalgamation of the then two main UK simulator contractors, these being Rediffusion Simulation & Singer Link Miles. Singer Link Miles was formed from the old F.G.Miles (Beagle Aircraft) company based close to me at Shoreham airport. As I'm sure you are aware, F.G.Miles built many fine and innovative aircraft and I recall our canteen and conference rooms being decorated with black & white photographs of these great British aircraft. I also remember we installed a Jetstream flight simulator at RAF Finningley which provided many years of useful aircrew training.

I have been have been lucky enough to see the Vulcan fly a few times at the annual RAFA show at Shoreham, which brought back memories of the old 3 minute V Bomber scrambles we used to watch as part of the Farnborough Air Show. I believe it was standard practice at the time for V bombers to be placed on standby with engines running in order to be ready for immediate scramble.

With regard to the Webley pistol, don't be put off by Mk1 name as this was the traditional way British manufactures annotated their products at the time with no thought to imminent replacement. I have quite a few of these fine pistols and wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of the Webley range for informal target shooting of just as part of a collection. As a matter of interest, the later Mk2 Target was sold along side the MK1 and was really just a slightly more de-luxe version of the Mk1 until the much improved Senior appeared.

Regards

Brian

Hi Brian,

That pretty much confirms what I suspected regarding V bomber readiness. We could hear them being run up clearly from Bawtry and they'd really rattle the roof tiles when they were coming in to land. I seem to recall Miles being somehow coerced into parting with some innovative jet technology, pretty much as Sir Frank Whittle did. I'll have a better idea when I've finally run his biography to earth and read it. His widow's book 'Blossom' is everywhere but allegedly short on technical detail.

To play Devil's Advocate regarding the Mk1/2 controversy Rover just made the Land Rover until Series II's came along and then the earlier ones became known as Series Is, didn't they?

Belated apologies to Ed for digressing from his original excellent thread. Sometimes these things take off in all sorts of unexpected directions - the peril of an enquiring mind, wandering and wondering.

ATVB, Mick

[oliver13]

As an interesting comparison, maybe you've seen it before, a visit to the present day BSA factory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhm1HnJkDfQ

Apart from the barrels there doesn't seem to be any other fabrication there - I can't see any sign of it anyway like lathes & milling machines in the background, I think they are just assembling components, presumably from Gamo in Spain. Very sad when you see what it was like at one time.

Still, it's not often you will see a war time period unissued SMLE though - & the machine for making Meteors, looking a bit unused & forlorn...