This simple saucepan
is made from aluminium.
The same metal
that warplanes were made from
at the Trojan factory on Purley Way.

Saucepans were almost impossible to buy
so Trojan workers made them
in secret at night.

Happy families and friends
did not ask where they came from.

Frederick worked at the Trojan factory
during the Second World War:

"During the latter part of the war
there was a night shift at Trojans
and the very clever man in charge
had a good scheme.
He had the whole department
making cigarette lighters.
They had all the tools,
they had the steel left over
from odd bits and pieces
from various jobs they were doing.
And they, well,
might as well use them up,
so they did."

"That was done sort of quietly.
Then they had a lot of aluminium
left over from various items
they were making
so they made umpteen milk saucepans.
But because these
were still on strict ration
they had no way of selling them,
so they were put into,
like a secure store

But eventually they all disappeared.
Where they went,
I wouldn't like to say."

The War demanded a lot of raw materials.
People struggled
to deal with shortages of basic goods
until rationing ended in 1954.

Creative ideas
and clever recycling helped.
Dodgy deals
and secret scams thrived.
Trojan workers were making saucepans
when they should have
been making planes!

The government was desperate
to get hold of metal.
Railings around parks and gardens
were cut down
to be made into weapons.

The Imperial War Museum
covers conflicts
involving Britain and the Commonwealth,
from the First World War
to the present day.

It seeks to provide for, and encourage,
the study and understanding
of the history of modern war
and how it affects our lives.

It has three main branches
in the London region:
IWM Museum Lambeth
HMS Belfast
IWM Duxford

You can find out more
about visiting all these venues
and view their collections online

from their main website:

www.iwm.org.uk