The National Aircraft Factory No 1

And

Waddon Aerodrome

In 1917 the 'Ministry of Munitions', headed by Winston Churchill comissioned the construction of four National Aircraft Factories to boost aircraft production. Land called 'New Barn Farm' in Waddon next to the RFC Beddington airfield, was procured for the rapid construction of 'The National factory No1'. It consisted of 58 buildings and covered over 200 acres, with main road frontage access from Coldharbour Lane (later to become Purley Way), as well as it's own branch railway sidings link from the L.B.S.C.R. railway. It had a huge localy available workforce, as Croydon had a population of 170,000 with no similar factories in the area. The factory was set up to produce De Havilland DH9 aircraft for the RFC, and by January 1918 the first aircraft were completed ready for test flying and delivery.

'New Barn Farm', c 1910. Note it was operating as a cereal farm not the growing of Lavender as often mistakenly quoted.

The map above shows the RFC airfield in Beddington, and to the East the new area of Waddon airfield and the factory complex, which now stretched over and in to the district of Croydon.

Plough Lane was effectively where the border ran between Beddington and Waddon. To the West of it was the airfield used first by the RFC and then by the RAF. To the East of the road 'New Barn Farm' was aquired by the Government and a large factory complex for the construction of aircraft called 'The National Factory No1' was built on it. The rest of the farmland attached to the factory was developed as another airfield for the testing of the new aircraft under the name of 'Waddon Aerodrome'. It is a possibility that the land procured first for the 'Government Air Operations Field Beddington' was also part of the 'New Barn Farm', but this has so far not been proved. The land was registered under a seperate title to the land procured for the 'National Aircraft Factory', which the farm buildings were actually situated. There is also some dispute as to whether Plough Lane was a border between Beddington and Waddon, even though the Government 'Department of War' deemed it as so.

DH9's under construction

(above) Airco DH9

A group of 'National Aircraft Factory' employees. 1918. Women were extensively employed at the factory

( below) National Aircraft Factory No1. 1918.

(below) the N.A.F. propeller makers

(above) National Aircraft Factory canteen tokens.

'The National Aircraft Fatory No1' tug of war team 1918

The site of the 'National Aircraft Factory', which shortly after WW1 became the 'Aircraft Disposal Company', was later deveoped as a factory estate, occupied by such firms as 'Redwing Aircraft Ltd', Bourjois Ltd, 'British NSF Ltd, and the large 'Bowater' factory, which in the 1930's added a new striking art deco frontage to Purley Way. Further along Purley Way at the Northern end backing on to the railway branch lines originaly laid for 'National', were the 'Standard Steel Co, 'Croydon Foundry Ltd' and 'Metal Propellers Ltd', some with their own small private sidings attached.