World War I

[bob]

Does anyone have any information about the World War I munitons store at Kelbook?

Bob

[Moh]

We covered it on the old site but I don't think it is on here. No doubt Stanley will have all the info.

[Travis]

I missed on this the old site and would really like be able to read it please.

[Stanley]

There wasn't a lot actually. The depot was at SD 892430 about 100 yards below the road between Kelbrook and Foulridge. Until the late 60s/early 70s you could still see the foundation blocks of buildings in the fields, looked as though they had supported wooden buildings. I don't know what traces still exist below ground. Walt Fisher's father was a guard there and Walt told me that occasionally they would burn old stocks of cordite and this produced big clouds of yellow smoke. He thought that that was all that was stored there, cordite. In Donald Binn's book, 'The Skipton Colne railway and the Barnoldswick Branch' there is a simple track diagram on page 49 which shows the small sidings next to the signal box at the Barnoldswick junction with a branch line going off to the NW to the 'munitions works'. That's about it.....

[bob]

Thanks Stanley. There is a sketch map in an earlier book by Victor Laycocks, "Kelbrook in Times Past". There is aslo on OS MAP in Barlick library with what looks like the munitions store sketched in pencil.

Bob

[Thomo]

The munitions stored in that area were in WW2 and mostly moved by canal. The wharf is still there between the Anchor bridge and the East Lancs Boat Club site, there was a narrow gauge tramway from the wharf to the huts, behind and to the North of the Stone Trough Pub. One of my Fathers patrol routes at night included the canal, the dump and then the railway line into Barlick.