BKL ALLOYS (Kings Norton) INFORMATION APPEAL

The following email was received from Chris Michell in January 2003.

Dear KNBS,

                   I have just been looking at your very impressive website, and I wonder if you might be able to help me with some historical research relating to past industrial activities in King’s Norton?

I am an aviation historian and I am currently looking into the history of a company by the name of BKL Alloys Ltd. They were an Aluminium smelting concern founded in 1936, their works being located on the southern side of the railway line just to the west of Kings Norton station.

During the late 1940’s they were heavily involved in the scrapping and disposal of large numbers of surplus RAF aircraft, Halifax and Lancaster bombers etc. The aircraft were cut up at RAF airfields all around the country, the pieces were then transported by rail to the BKL works where they were melted down and cast into ingots, these then being recycled back to industry.

( Attached are some 1950’s BKL publicity photos).

Getting to the point of my enquiry to you, in those far off days young lads were inevitably attracted to places such as aircraft scrap yards! So if possible I would like to ask via your website if any of your ‘old boys’ have any memories of BKL? If so I would be very interested to hear them.

Thanks in anticipation and Happy new year!

Best regards, Chris  Michell.

Mr.C.Michell

Flat A Ampthill

Easthill Road

Ryde

Isle of Wight

PO33 1LL

01983 408661 daytime

01983 812276 home

chris@bf109.fsnet.co.uk