Cowley Morris Motors aircraft factory

I seem to recall that at some point not so long ago (famous last words) an archaeological explore/dig was done and some data/info plates were recovered including some German ones.

Thanks to everyone for all the info, I,ve lived in the area for ages but never realised quite how important the Morris Motors Cowley plant was to the aircraft industry during WW2.

There was a wartime publication called ‘Call to Arms’ I think I have a copy somewhere that covered all of the wartime period at Cowley.

Apart from MPRD, No1 Civillian Repair Depot carried out a great deal of rebuilds to Spitfire and Huricane aircraft, if you look on the BBC website of archive recordings, open up the Battle of Britain section and there is one of the interviews that includes a good section on the work at Cowley, I can’t remember which one though except it is audio only.
I don’t know of any plans, we have been visiting the site since the 1980’s back then we found several fields full of parts, many Huricane stainless fittings and a good selection of other stuff, sadly in the 1990’s Rover had produced more cars than they were selling and so stockpiled hundreds in the fields where we found stuff after they tipped thousands of tons of clinker to park on.
We still gain permission for a short time in the Summer after harvest were again we have found some interesting items

Jules

K4235 – Thanks for the info, I,ve ordered a copy of the book.

Dunno, but Oxford is covered circa 1945 on Google Earth.

Adrian

Are there any site plans of the works during the week period?

Any Wellingtons would have been wrecks with 50 MU/MPRD:
http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?141705-Thoughts-And-Advice-Needed-50MU-Diary/page3&highlight=Cowley.

Cowley Block R assembled 3,508 Tigers upto 40 p.week. Saw Mill Works made Horsa wings and tails. The airfield site repaired > 1,000 a/c (Hurricane/Spitfire/Master/Magister).

THE CHANGING FACES OF COWLEY WORKS BOOK TWO by CAROLE NEWBIGGING AND TREVOR WILLIAMS published by Robert Boyd Publications covers the war years of Cowley and has some good images of Tiger Moths on the production line as well as pictures of the metal recycling area with aircraft remains, a good little book.