MORE Second World War statistics underlie this shift from the bayonet room at the Burlington Shed of Prince-Smith and Stells Ltd, which produced 1,057,515 spike bayonets.

Between 1939 and 1945, Prince-Smith and Stells’ workforce rose from 1,700 to 3,500, of whom 1,300 were women.

Many alternated a fortnight on day shift with a fortnight on nights. A day shift ran from 7.45am to 7pm and a night shift from 7.15pm to 7.30am, with an hour off for dinner and half-an-hour for other meals.

The firm made gun and aircraft components, ammunition and machine tools, including 661,910 Bren gun magazine platforms, 333,654 Wellington aircraft parts and 107,154 hand grenades. In 1944 the Ministry of Aircraft Production agreed to “expand the company’s capacity in connection with the conversion of American aircraft”.

Like other firms, Prince-Smith and Stells contributed generously towards the war effort, giving a £25,000 interest-free loan for War Weapons Week and another £25,000 in war bonds for Wings for Victory Week.