Profit, Politics and Patriotism

As one of the major engineering companies of Ipswich, Ransomes and Rapier was heavily involved with the production of munitions during the Great War. Ransomes and Rapier was set up in 1869 to continue with and development the railways, bridges and heavy machinery, which was originally part of Ransome Sims and Jefferies but the company, found the manufacture of heavy machinery inconvenient, and gave permission for Ransomes and Rapier to take it over. The Chairman and Managing Director, Sir Wilfred Stokes invented the Stokes gun which became the most popular trench mortar of the Great War. He was elected to be the Chairman of the East Anglian Munitions Committee based at the Ransomes and Rapier factory, which was to not only oversee the production of munitions in East Anglia but also manufactured shells and guns in the workshops built by Ransomes and Rapier for them on their Waterside Works.