BSA: Difference between revisions
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1910 Acquired the [[Daimler|Daimler Motor Co (1904) Ltd]]. | 1910 Acquired the [[Daimler|Daimler Motor Co (1904) Ltd]]. | ||
1914 Very | 1914 Very busy in all departments; BSA bicycles and motorcycles were very popular - demand expected to exceed previous year; great demand for cycles and motorcycles from all over the world; great demand for the new BSA car; gun department working at full pressure on government orders as well as other types of gun; one of the most important types of gun is the Lewis machine gun for which the company held sole manufacturing rights for Europe<ref>The Times, Jan 28, 1914</ref> | ||
1919 [[BSA: Guns| BSA Guns]] became a private company | 1919 [[BSA: Guns| BSA Guns]] became a private company | ||
Revision as of 17:56, 26 December 2012
BSA (Birmingham Small Arms Company) of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham
General
1854 Possibly founded in 1854 as an association of 14 (16? 24?) Gunsmiths in order to supply munitions (hand-made muzzle-loading rifles) for the Crimean War effort.
1861 Incorporated as a Limited Company, The Birmingham Small Arms Company, to mass-produce guns.
1862 25 acre site on Small Heath was selected for their factory.
1863 Factory opened for the manufacture of small arms by use of machinery.
1866. Government order to convert 100,000 muzzle-loading Enfield rifles
1871 The government adopted the Martini-Henry Rifle and BSA started producing these from 1874.
1873 Acquired the Adderley Park Rolling Mills for the production of ammunition shells; name changed to Birmingham Small Arms and Metal Company.
1880 The company was approached by Messrs. Smith and Lamb, of Ipswich, with a request to manufacture the Otto Patent Safety Dicycle (not "Bi" cycle) the invention of Mr. E. C. F. Otto. On 2nd July, 1880 a contract was entered into whereby the company undertook to supply 210 'Ottos' at £8 15s. each, less tyres: the first machine was delivered on 20th September, 1880.
The output of B.S.A. safety bicycles and tricycles steadily increased but in 1887 the Government demand for rifles and ammunition was such that the Company temporarily discontinued bicycle and tricycle manufacture.
1893 The Government demand for rifles and ammunition lessened, so the Company once more was able to take up the manufacture of bicycles, initially bicycle components.
In 1896 the entire business of manufacturing ammunition, together with the property used for this purpose at Adderley Park and Streetly, was disposed of to the Directors of the Nobel-Dynamite Trust Limited, who formed a new company to take over the works in question, under the title of the Birmingham Metal and Munitions Co. Henceforward the Small Arms Company, which for the previous twenty-three years had been known as The Birmingham Small Arms and Metal Company, reverted to its earlier name, which it has held ever since, namely, The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited.
1900 Birmingham Small Arms Co and the Royal Small Arms Factory (Enfield) shared the large orders for the Lee-Enfield Rifle; the Royal Small Arms Factory (Birmingham) would probably be called on to help although it had principally be involved in repair work in the past few years[1].
1906 Took over the Royal Small Arms Factory at Sparkbrook[2].
1907 Bought Eadie Manufacturing Co. The company was engaged in the manufacture of military and sporting rifles and components. [3]
1908 Recommenced the manufacture of complete cycles
1909 Started making motorcycles
1910 Acquired the Daimler Motor Co (1904) Ltd.
1914 Very busy in all departments; BSA bicycles and motorcycles were very popular - demand expected to exceed previous year; great demand for cycles and motorcycles from all over the world; great demand for the new BSA car; gun department working at full pressure on government orders as well as other types of gun; one of the most important types of gun is the Lewis machine gun for which the company held sole manufacturing rights for Europe[4]
1919 BSA Guns became a private company
1920? Purchased the then bankrupt Aircraft Manufacturing Co (Airco).
1920 BSA Tools became a private company.
1925 BSA Motor Cycles became a private company.
1927 See Aberconway for information on the company and its history.
1961 Listed as Birmingham Small Arms Co and parent of 32 subsidiaries. The group employed 17,000 persons. [5].
1973 After the collapse of BSA's shares in the Stock Market, the company was sold to a new motorcycle company Norton-Villiers-Triumph, financed by the government and Manganese Bronze Holdings who would also put their own motorcycle company Norton-Villiers into the new entity. The non-motorcycle parts of BSA were acquired by Manganese Bronze Holdings[6].
Bicycles
- See BSA: Bicycles
Motorcycles
- See BSA: Motorcycles
Cars
- See BSA: Cars
Guns
- See BSA: Guns
Radio
- See BSA: Radio
Tools
- See BSA: Tools
Engines
- See BSA: Engines
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia
- The Engineer of 10th November 1911 p487
- The Engineer of 26th April 1968 p650
- Birmingham’s Industrial Heritage by Ray Shill. Published by Sutton Publishing 2002. ISBN 0-7509-2593-0
- Birmingham Engineering and Mining Journal Volume 9 for 1910-11