HC Deb 30 March 1938 vol 333 cc2015-6W
Mr. Day

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will give particulars of any new cases of sabotage in the construction of aircraft that have been brought to his notice; and have any further protective measures been taken to guard these aircraft?

Mr. Hulbert

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he can make any statement in regard to the recent attempted sabotage of Battle aircraft at the Fairey Aviation Works, Stockport?

Mr. Burke

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he can give any information regarding further acts of sabotage to Royal Air Force planes at the Fairey Aviation Works, Stockport?

Mr. Thorne

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he can give any information in connection with the sabotage in a war aeroplane factory at Stockport; what was the amount of damage done; and whether the war aeroplanes were being made for the Government?

Earl Winterton

Since the case of malicious damage which occurred at the Ringway Aerodrome last month, there have been further instances at the Stockport factory. The damage, which was discovered between 19th and 22nd March, was to the electric wires installed in four Battle aircraft. One of these aeroplanes was due for delivery to the Royal Air Force, and the other three were for Belgium. A further case of severed wires to an aircraft due for delivery to the Royal Air Force was reported by the Super-marine Aviation Company at Southampton on 17th March and a similar case by the Armstrong Whitworth Company at Baginton, near Coventry, on the 29th March. Police investigation is actively proceeding in each case.

All aircraft manufacturers have been made aware of the problem and all practicable precautions are being taken. It will be appreciated, however, that it is a matter of the utmost difficulty to guarantee immunity against damage which can be inflicted in a few seconds by an ill-disposed person apparently engaged on his normal work. The main safeguard in this matter must always be the vigilance and loyalty of the workmen and staffs of the firms concerned and the present isolated cases of malicious damage, deplorable as they are, must not be allowed to conceal the fact that the spirit of the aircraft industry as a whole is excellent and that the material damage of this kind over a period of years has been remarkably small.

I should add that there is no evidence to suggest that the malicious damage is to be attributed to any agent of a foreign Power.