Thread: WW2 Near Lithgow

There was also a large arms factory at Bathurst with extensive storage sites stretching from Whiterock (Near Raglan on the eastern side) right across to the Blayney rd. The hangars (or sheds?) are still there today. There are 2 or 3 on the grounds of Charles Sturt University. One was used by forestry up until about 20 years ago. They used to service D8 and D9 cats in it. The concrete is about six feet deep.

The workers houses are still in Bathurst. Known as the "Duration" houses, they are on streets called "Coral Way", "Pacific Way" and "Tobruk Way" etc.

Anyone that knows Bathurst will know of the old "Timbind" (Timber Industry) factory on the right as you start on the Blayney Rd - it was the WW2 arms factory. It is now a wool store. Above this factory adjoining the golf course, further up the Blayney Road is the old air raid shelter for the workers. It is/was connected to the factory by a tunnel. Anyone remembering the old "windy way" concrete rd at Wallerawang? It was built by the Americans during WW2 to get the ammunition to Sydney.


Tom.

Originally Posted by BathurstTom

There was also a large arms factory at Bathurst with extensive storage sites stretching from Whiterock (Near Raglan on the eastern side) right across to the Blayney rd. The hangars (or sheds?) are still there today. There are 2 or 3 on the grounds of Charles Sturt University. One was used by forestry up until about 20 years ago. They used to service D8 and D9 cats in it. The concrete is about six feet deep.

The workers houses are still in Bathurst. Known as the "Duration" houses, they are on streets called "Coral Way", "Pacific Way" and "Tobruk Way" etc.

Anyone that knows Bathurst will know of the old "Timbind" (Timber Industry) factory on the right as you start on the Blayney Rd - it was the WW2 arms factory. It is now a wool store. Above this factory adjoining the golf course, further up the Blayney Road is the old air raid shelter for the workers. It is/was connected to the factory by a tunnel. Anyone remembering the old "windy way" concrete rd at Wallerawang? It was built by the Americans during WW2 to get the ammunition to Sydney.

Tom.

Are large arms what you need when you have to give someone a big hand?

Being sensible now: Tom

Just out of interest, do you know if the Bathurst was factory making ordnance/ammunition such as artillery or naval shells and aerial bombs or the making the actual guns?

Always wondered why there was that single stretch of concrete road. Seemed very out of place with so much very average bitumen on either end.

Diana

Hi Diana, I believe that Bathurst was only making ordanance, but I could be wrong. And we all know what Armies are for don't we? They're for putting handsies on

Tom.

Hi
I believe if you Google "Evelyn Owen" you will find his light machine gun was also manufactured up there,reportedly the best light machine gun produced in WW2.
Cheers
Paul.

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

A
Just out of interest, do you know if the Bathurst was factory making ordnance/ammunition such as artillery or naval shells and aerial bombs or the making the actual guns?

guns (artillery) weren't made at Lithgow, neither were shells filled there

Lithgow was a SAF (Small Arms factory)

here is an extract fromLithgow Small Arms Factory Museum

The Lithgow factory could not keep up with arms requirements. A new annex factory was erected at Bathurst some 40 miles west of Lithgow. This was followed by the erection of feeder factories in the surrounding towns of Orange, Forbes, Wellington, Mudgee, Cowra, Young, Dubbo, Parkes, Portland and Katoomba, which was never used. The increased demand for rifle woodwork was met by the establishment of an annex factory at Slazengers near Sydney in 1941.

if you examine any of the machine guns/rifles that they made you can see the individual feeder factory stamp on the various components, e.g
trigger guards "BA" - Bathurst
barrels & rifle action bodies "MA" - Lithgow (not Mudgee as would be logical)
triggers "OA" - Orange ..........etc etc

altogether a very interesting history

Originally Posted by Modelsp

Hi
I believe if you Google "Evelyn Owen" you will find his light machine gun was also manufactured up there,reportedly the best light machine gun produced in WW2.
Cheers
Paul.

I thought Lysaght's Port Kembla plant made the Owen? Evelyn Owen was a Wollongong man and I know that Lysaght were somehow involved.

Have you ever fired an Owen? I was lucky enough to do it on a CUO course at Singleton.

Originally Posted by Modelsp

Hi
I believe if you Google "Evelyn Owen" you will find his light machine gun was also manufactured up there,reportedly the best light machine gun produced in WW2.
Cheers
Paul.

... the Owen gun was made at Lysaghts,

the barrels for them may have been made either by Lysaghts or Lithgow

the SAF made the Owen replacement (the F1) used in Vietnam using some SLR components

Just a word of warning to anyone planning on poking around the AAA sites near lithgow - be /really/ careful, there are old mines around and the openings get covered with undergrowth. Very easy to suddenly disappear!