The Early Nineteen Hundreds

In 1906, as a result of the British Admiralty initiatives, Vickers, and Sir W.G. Armstrong, of Armstrong-Whitworth and Co. Limited, acquired 368 shares (184 shares each) of the 735 shares of the Whitehead Company capital, which covered the factories at Fiume and at Weymouth (Ferry Bridge). Purchase price was around £200,000 from each firm. The remaining 367 shares stayed in the hands of the Whitehead family.

A substantial improvement in torpedo performance was initiated by the Armstrong Whitworth Company in 1904, when they realised that if the compressed air used to drive the torpedoes engine was pre-heated in a combustion pot, then a considerable increase in performance could be achieved. The young "Fiume" Jones was put in charge of a team of engineers at the Fiume Factory in Italy, and by 1907 they had developed a "Whitehead Heater', which, when coupled with a new four cylinder radial engine designed by Brotherhoods of Peterboroucgh, provided almost double the existing range and speed. By the outbreak of the Great War an 18" diameter Whitehead torpedo could achieve 44 knots for over 2 kilometres, or 30 knots for over 6 kilometres. In 1909 the Weymouth Works embarked on the development of their first 21" torpedo but after unsuccessful trials it was scrapped, and a Weymouth Mk 2 was produced, capable of running at 30 knots for 10,000 metres.

Commercially, the years leading up to the First World War were ones of international expansion for the Whitehead Torpedo Company, and this often required the setting up of overseas Branches, in order to guarantee to foreign Governments that in the event of hostilities they would have a reliable source of supply. At Fiume the Company continued to trade successfully until the start of the first World War, when it was evacuated to St. Polten, South of Vienna, only returning to Fiume in 1918. In 1924 it went into liquidation, and at that time all Vickers-Armstrong interests were sold to the Italian Government for £320,000. The Fiume Company was eventually reconstructed and traded under the name of Silurifico Whitehead di Fiume, S.A.

In 1913 a French Company was formed, with the title La Societe Francais des Torpilles Whitehead, and a new Torpedo Factory was established at San Tropez, in the South of France, to help meet the demands of the French Navy. Shares were in the same proportion as the parent Company, but due to the outbreak of war in 1914, the company was never a fnancial success, and in 1925 Vickers-Armstrong sold their interest to the San Tropez Company, which was eventually reconstructed, and is now known as La Societe des Torpilles de San Tropez. In 1913 an Italian Company was set up, in an attempt to encourage possible Government orders, and deter other competitors such as Schwartskopff of Germany and Creusot of France. The De Lucca Works at Naples was purchased, and an Italian Company was registered on the 24th of April 1914 as La Society Anonima Italiana Whitehead and Company. After the war Vickers-Armstrong sold their interest in the Company, which was reconstructed as the Silurifico Italiano Societe Anonima. In 1914 a Branch was established at Feodosia in Russia, but there was a great deal of confusion about its status, and the factory was eventually occupied by the Germans in 1918.

One of the teams was known as the Ferry Bridge Athletic Football Club, and they demonstrated their prowess in 1911-12 by winning the Dorset Minor Cup. In those days it was known as the Whitehead Cup, for it had been presented to the Dorset FA by Captain Payne Gallwey, in 1894. In 1911-12 the trainer and "towel man" of the team was J. Hampson. F. Rodd was the nattily clad goalkeeper, and Dickie Frampton, on the right of the picture, was one of a well known family of Wykeites. Dickie was still playing in the 1913-14 season and one of his team mates was the well known Weymouth footballer, Archie Bown. Like many of his contemporaries Dickie Frampton fought in the Great War and was badly wounded, but he survived to a ripe old age and was still enjoying a drink in the Wyke Working Mens Club in the 1970's.

The Germans in particular used the deadly combination to strike, with devastating effect, at merchant shipping. The first practical idea for attacking ships from the air, by dropping torpedos from aircraft, had been suggested in 1912, and by 1913 air drop trials from a Short Seaplane were being carried out in Portland Harbour. As the photograph of the Ferrybridge factory shows, the aircraft sometimes passed almost right over the Factory. Needless to say, there were many technical problems to overcome before air drop weapons were considered to be effective.

Before we leave the period that saw the death of Robert Whitehead, it is worth recounting a romantic historical thread that connects our little Parish of Wyke Regis with one of the most famous modern musicals of all time - The Sound of Music. Robert and Alice Whitehead had seven children and their third son, James, married the daughter of Viscount Middleton, a Minister in the British Government. James eventually became Ambassador to the Court of Austria and he in turn, fathered seven children, the youngest of whom was a very pretty young lady called Frances. In 1912 Frances was asked to undertake the christening of one of Austria's new submarines, and there she met and fell in love with the handsome submarine commander, Captain Von Trapp. They married, and had two children before Von Trapp was called away to fight in the Great War, where he distinquished himself as a courageous submariner, winning many medals, and being raised to the Austrian nobility. With the War over, Austria was left without a Navy, and thus had no use for Naval Officers. A disappointed Von Trapp turned to business and by 1924 he and Frances had produced seven more children. Tragically, poor Frances then died of scarlet fever and Von Trapp was desolate. He moved his family to Saltzburg but, without a mother, the children became troublesome and unruly until, in desperation, Von Trapp engaged a Novice from the nearby Benedictine Nunnery - Maria Augusta Kutschera, who bought joy and happiness to the household. The children grew to love her and Von Trapp eventually married her. Maria taught the children to sing, and soon they became famous as the Von Trapp Singers, performing all over Europe. In 1938 Germany annexed Austria, and rather than betray their beliefs the Von Trapps made a hazardous escape over the mountains into Switzerland. They went to America, settled in Vermont, reformed their singing group and once again became famous. Von Trapp died in 1947, but the story of his musical children, great grandchildren of Robert Whitehead, builder of the Ferry Bridge Works, Wyke Regis, lived on in the beautiful musical "The Sound of Music".

When the War finally ended in 1918, the Admiralty allowed Vickers-Armstrong to re-assumed control of the Whitehead Torpedo Company. Unfortunately, no one wanted large numbers of torpedoes any more, and there was a dramatic slowdown in orders. By 1921 the situation had become so bad that the Whitehead Company went into liquidation, and the Factory was forced to sack its workers and close its gates. However, the site was too valuable an asset to lie wasting for very long and by 1923 efforts were being made to get it re-opened and the machinery turning once more.