BMARC

BMARC (The British Manufacture and Research Company) was a UK-based firm designing and producing defence products, particularly aircraft cannon and naval anti-aircraft cannon. It was based on Springfield Road (a part of the A607), Grantham, Lincolnshire.

History

Second World War

The company was created by William Denis Kendall, who shortly afterwards became MP for Grantham from 1942-50.

The company was created during the start of the World War II rearmament period solely as a weapons producer. In 1943, for example, it fulfilled 46 % of the UK's demand for the Hispano-Suiza 20 mm cannon. The remainder came from the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) - 25%, a Royal Ordnance Factory - 25 % and the Royal Small Arms Factory - 3 %. At the time of the Battle of Britain in 1941, 20 mm cannon were only just starting to arm the Spitfire and Hurricane. By 1943, the RAF had converted entirely to cannon armament for its fighters. Grantham received 21 raids by the Luftwaffe for precisely this reason, which killed 70 people in 1941 (around the Commercial Road area).

Post-war

In 1974, the company acquired a site at Faldingworth (near Market Rasen). This site contained two indoor firing ranges for testing and proving of cannon. The site also had the capability to store nuclear weapons such as Redbeard and WE.177. This site is currently used by BAE Systems.

BMARC was a subsidiary of Hispano-Suiza, then was owned until 1987 by Oerlikon, the Swiss defence contractor, when it was sold to Astra Holdings (head office in the USA). In the 1990s, the company was investigated for alleged illegal dealings with Iraq. Jonathan Aitken was a non-executive director of the company, and in a libel trial in March 1997, BMARC was accused of selling weapons to Iran.

Financial collapse

After the financial collapse of Astra Holdings, in April 1992, BMARC was bought by British Aerospace briefly becoming part of Royal Ordnance. The company later closed the Grantham site in 1992, and the site was sold in 1994.

Royal Navy use

Ships that use the 20mm weapons are the Type 22 frigate, the Type 42 destroyer, the Fort Victoria class replenishment oiler, the Fort Rosalie class replenishment ship, the River class patrol vessel, the Castle class patrol vessel, the Fearless class landing platform dock, the cancelled Type 82 destroyer, and RFA Fort Victoria and HMS Roebuck.

Current use of the site

The former site's offices are now home to the Springfield Business Park, with the rest of the site (factory) developed for housing.

References

External links

• BMARC (http://www.bobfairbrother.freeuk.com)
• Faldingworth site
• BMARC and Michael Heseltine.
• Listen to a BBC documentary about BMARC/Astra.
• 20mm weapon on HMS Cumberland