The Coventry Blitz of 14th November 1940 led to a major change in Mountsorrel’s industrial background. When the Alvis factory in Coventry was bombed, its workforce was transferred to Mountsorrel, thus beginning the village’s association with aircraft engineering which lasted until 1994 with the closure of Rolls Royce.
Listen to this recording by Connie Hudson who worked at the Alvis factory during World War 2 and read more about the Alvis company during its time in Mountsorrel.
The Alvis company had been divided into the car division and the aeronautical division,but on the outbreak of war, both were commandeered by the government to make aircraft parts.
Therefore, early in 1941, a group of skilled men, together with as much machinery as could be salvaged from the bombed factory in Coventry, came to work in Mountsorrel at the Linkfield Road premises of Clarke’s Boxes. This factory was requisitioned by the government and box manufacture moved to Rothley and Shepshed for the duration.
The group of Alvis workers found lodgings with local families –although they spent relatively little time there as the shift began at 8 a.m. and finished at 6 p.m., plus working on Saturday mornings. Most of the men went back to Coventry as soon as the Saturday morning shift ended and returned on Monday morning. They were allowed a little leeway in their Monday morning starting time to take account of the fact that the first bus back from Coventry on Monday wouldn’t enable them to get to work in Mountsorrel by 8 a.m. As production increased, a night shift was also worked.
The factory produced parts for Rolls Royce Merlin and Kestrel engines. As production intensified, a second factory (known as Alvis no.2) was built behind the one already in use, next to the pond, on land which was formerly a brick works. As more and more workers were needed, people were recruited both from nearby towns and villages and also from much further afield, to work alongside the original Alvis employees.
In 1942 a number of prefabricted bungalows were constructed in Church Hill Road to house the families of Alvis workers who re-located from Coventry. (Church Hill Road at that time followed the route it does today from Rothley Road but continued out onto Halstead Road along what is now Martin Avenue.For the families who moved to Mountsorrel from Coventry, life could be rather challenging. The change from life in a bustling city to that in what must have seemed something of a rural backwater was difficult for many. However, although some families returned to live in Coventry after the war, many stayed, became part of the community in Mountsorrel and spent the rest of their lives here.
In 1945 the Alvis Company returned to Coventry and Clarke’sBoxes moved back into their original premises. The former Alvis no.2 was rented to the De Havilland Company for a short time, after which the site was rented to and later bought by Rolls Royce Ltd. who became a major employer in the village until the factory’s closure in 1994.
Back Row (L-R) ?Hewitt, Tom Cockerell, Sid Burdett, George Taylor, Tom Underwood,
Middle Row (L-R) Ada Williams, Evelyn Elliot, Rene Hall, Lily Lee, Nora Wells, Joe?(from Rothley),
Front Row (L-R) Gladys Seaton, June Chapman, Edna Mee(nee Wesley), Connie Hudson(nee Griffiths), Winnie Leake, Olive Hudson(nee Smith), Margery Hardy
I was born in Coventry 1939 lived in 6 Churchill rd mountsorrel 1942 more to say if any interest
My father William Williams was one of the first skilled workes to move from Coventry.He worked on aircraft.He described the raids on Coventry.His Mother was killed in the blitz.