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The histories of Meighs, Stoke-on-Trent
and Aluminium Bronze are heavily intertwined.
Aluminium Bronze
as an alloy was discovered in the mid 1800’s
and was first used for French Artillery in 1860,
but the excessive
production costs prevented its widespread usage.
In 1885, Cowles Bros. in America
successfully produced aluminium bronze at a much
lower cost and the Cowles Company went on to open
a subsidiary in Stoke-on-Trent, England.
In 1892, also
in Stoke-on-Trent, Charles Harold Meigh was born.
Having served with
the British Army during the First World War, he
married a close friend of Pierre Durville’s
daughter and joined Durville at his foundry in
Mouy, France.
Pierre Durville had perfected a
technique for producing sound, oxide free aluminium
bronze billets for coinage manufacture. Paradoxically,
the success of the alloy for coinage resulted in
high stock levels, with consequent cash flow problems
and the company went out of business.
In 1923 Charles
Meigh left Durville to develop the ‘Meigh process’ at his
own foundry in Rouen, France for the commercial
production of high integrity Aluminium Bronze sand
castings. Charles Meigh returned to England in
1937, where he set up ‘Meighs of Cheltenham’.
During the Second World War he designed
and produced an aluminium bronze aerial torpedo
fin that greatly improved the torpedo accuracy
since it replaced a steel fabrication that distorted
on impact. He was later awarded the MBE in recognition
of his contribution to the war effort.
The ‘Meigh process’ was
licensed to Birkett Billington & Newton, Stoke-on-Trent
for the production of Aluminium bronze castings.
Birkett Billington & Newton, following a merger
with another Stoke-on-Trent foundry, Whyte & Collins,
were acquired by the Brookside Metal Group who
went on to acquire the assets of ‘Meighs
of Cheltenham’ in 1991.
In 1992 the
Cheltenham site was closed and ‘MEIGHS’ foundry
transferred to Stoke-on-Trent from where it operates
today.
It has since undergone a demerger from Brookside
Metal and is a privately owned Limited Company.
* Details obtained from CAST & WROUGHT
ALUMINIUM BRONZES PROPERTIES, PROCESSES AND APPLICATIONS
by HARRY MEIGH |
