THE HISTORY OF I.C.I.
The site`s industrial heritage started in 1785 with the Borelle Dyeworks, taken over by another French family at the turn of the 19th century, the Delauneys, whose name was given to the road running past the site. In 1865, Berliner Ivan Levinstein acquired the site and developed synthetic dyes. He later merged the site with British Dyes to become the British Dyestuffs Corporation in 1919. In 1926 the corporation merged with four other firms to form Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). The works in Blackley was part of the Dyestuffs Division of the ICI. The works were enormous and lead in scientific colour breakthrough for the commercial fabric market, but also created new chemicals for film processing and colouring. The works were enormous with over 1,600 employees at one time, spread over a 500 acre site. The Hexagon Tower built in 1973 on the corner of Delauneys Road and Market Street in Blackley. The 14-story block designed by modernist architect Richard Seifert was the HQ of ICI`s colours division.The tower`s hexagon shaped windows represent the chemical compound Benzine – the basis of synthetic dyes that the site was famous for producing. It houses laboratories and offices in industries as diverse as solar energy, drug testing and photo film. As the main works factory began to close down in the latter part of the 1900`s, many of the employees left and either found other jobs or retired. In 1993 the Tower was sold to the Zeneca group, and then sold again to Aveca in 1999. It was bought in 2008 by LaSalle Investment Management who established it as a science park for start companies and multi-nationals.
The roll of Honour which appears on this page was compiled by Harry Bebbington, a former ICI employee.
IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES LIMITED HEXAGON HOUSE, BLACKLEY, MANCHESTER ROLL OF HONOUR IN MEMORY OF THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES ON ACTIVE SERVICE IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-1945
ASHTON, Harold Leslie
Rank: Bombadier. Service No.923669.
Date of death 14th April 1943
Age 23.
111th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery.
Grave reference: 6.E.9 Tripoli War Cemetery, Libya.
Son of Stanley and Mary Alice Ashton of Bury, Lancashire
BALL, Wilfred Langdon
Rank: Sergeant. Service No. 994358.
Date of death 26th November 1941
Age 22.
106 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Panel reference 39, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, UK.
Son of Tom Langdon and Rachel Ball, of Crumpsall, Lancashire.
CASSIDY, James
Rank: Private. Service No. 3526926.
Date of death 22nd June 1943
Age 29.
The Manchester Regiment.
Grave reference: B4.M.14. Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, Myanmar, Burma.
COWDEN, John Duncan Forbes
Rank: Flight Lieutenant Pilot. Service No. 178046.
Date of death 14th February 1945
Age 23.
635 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Awarded the DFC.
Grave Reference: 9.A.18-23 Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany.
Son of Mary Cowden, of Prestwich, Lancashire.
DUNKS, Geoffrey Frederick
Rank: Sergeant. Service No. 1005984.
Date of death 9th May 1942
Age 20.
Wireless Operator, Air Gunner, 158 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Grave reference: Coll. 8.A.16- 32 Berlin 1939 War Cemetery, Germany.
Son of Thomas and Ada Dunks.
DURANT, Edward Robinson
Rank: Flying Officer. Service No. 128701.
Date of death 3rd August 1944
Age 32.
Wireless Operator (Air), 61 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Grave reference: Plot 2. Grave 358, Creil Communal Cemetery, Oise, France.
Son of Edward and Winifred Durant, of Mapperley Park, Nottingham.
JONES, Charles Herbert
Rank: Sergeant. Service No. 3451476.
Date of death 4th January 1941
Age 22.
11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers.
Grave reference: Section 5, Row 9, grave 133, Prestwich (St. Mary), Churchyard, Lancashire.
Husband of Madge Jones, of Prestwich, Clough.
POLLOCK, James Alexander
Rank: Sergeant. Service No. 1014104.
Date of death 13th July 1941 Age 24.
Pilot U/T, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Grave reference: Grave 12, Bulawayo (Athlone) Cemetery, Zimbabwe.
Son of Andrew and Edith Mary Pollock, of Manchester.
SAMUEL, Alan James
Rank: Ordinary Seaman. Service No. D/JX 345313.
Date of death 27th July 1943
Age 20.
Royal Navy, HMS Grey Shark. Grave reference: Panel 20, Manchester Crematorium.
Son of Edward Alfred and Margaret Samuel, of Manchester.
SANDERSON, John Edward
Rank: Flight Lieutenant. Service No. 142852.
Date of death 24th March 1944
Age 23.
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Awarded the DFC.
Grave reference: Sec. E. Grave 600, Salendine Nook Baptist Chapelyard, Yorkshire.
Son of William Edward and Marion Sanderson, of Withington, Manchester.
SHACKLETON, Harry Douglas
Rank: Gunner. Service No. 1493368.
Date of death 24th May 1945
Age 26.
Royal Artillery, 1 Bty., Searchlight Regt.
Awarded MM.
Grave reference: Sec.13.Vault 5.Cemetery, Haggate Baptist Chapelyard, Lancashire.
Son of Robinson G. and Margaret Shackleton, of Westhoughton.
SINGLETON, Denis Owen
Rank: Gunner. Service No. 936556.
Date of death 7 th January 1941
Age 21.
Royal Artillery, 51 The Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry Field Regiment.
Grave reference: 4. E. 1. Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt .
Son of Albert and Alice Norah Singleton, of Higher Blackley, Manchester.
WARD, Kenneth Rookby
Rank: Flight Sergeant, Navigator. Service No. 1459087.
Date of death 11th June 1944
Age 23.
166 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Grave reference: Coll. grave Mareil-leGuyon Communal Cemetery, Yvelines, France.
Son of Arthur Rookby and Edith Evelyn Ward, of Stockport, Cheshire.
WHITTAKER, Wallace Victor
Rank: Flying Officer, Pilot. Service No. 147755.
Date of death 19th May 1944
Age 22.
253 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Grave reference: 9. D. 6. Belgrade War Cemetery, Serbia.
Son of Victor and Agnes Whittaker, of Whitefield, Lancashire.
WILLIAMS, Jack
Rank: Sergeant. Service No. 1006041.
Date of death 10th July 1943
Age 32.
37 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Memorial reference: Panel 9, Column 2, Malta Memorial.
Husband of Ida Williams, of Jericho, Bury, Lancashire.
The site`s industrial heritage started in 1785 with the Borelle Dyeworks, taken over by another French family at the turn of the 19th century, the Delauneys, whose name was given to the road running past the site. In 1865, Berliner Ivan Levinstein acquired the site and developed synthetic dyes. He later merged the site with British Dyes to become the British Dyestuffs Corporation in 1919. In 1926 the corporation merged with four other firms to form Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). The works in Blackley was part of the Dyestuffs Division of the ICI. The works were enormous and lead in scientific colour breakthrough for the commercial fabric market, but also created new chemicals for film processing and colouring. The works were enormous with over 1,600 employees at one time, spread over a 500 acre site. The Hexagon Tower built in 1973 on the corner of Delauneys Road and Market Street in Blackley. The 14-story block designed by modernist architect Richard Seifert was the HQ of ICI`s colours division.The tower`s hexagon shaped windows represent the chemical compound Benzine – the basis of synthetic dyes that the site was famous for producing. It houses laboratories and offices in industries as diverse as solar energy, drug testing and photo film. As the main works factory began to close down in the latter part of the 1900`s, many of the employees left and either found other jobs or retired. In 1993 the Tower was sold to the Zeneca group, and then sold again to Aveca in 1999. It was bought in 2008 by LaSalle Investment Management who established it as a science park for start companies and multi-nationals.
The roll of Honour which appears on this page was compiled by Harry Bebbington, a former ICI employee.
IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES LIMITED HEXAGON HOUSE, BLACKLEY, MANCHESTER ROLL OF HONOUR IN MEMORY OF THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES ON ACTIVE SERVICE IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-1945
ASHTON, Harold Leslie
Rank: Bombadier. Service No.923669.
Date of death 14th April 1943
Age 23.
111th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery.
Grave reference: 6.E.9 Tripoli War Cemetery, Libya.
Son of Stanley and Mary Alice Ashton of Bury, Lancashire
BALL, Wilfred Langdon
Rank: Sergeant. Service No. 994358.
Date of death 26th November 1941
Age 22.
106 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Panel reference 39, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, UK.
Son of Tom Langdon and Rachel Ball, of Crumpsall, Lancashire.
CASSIDY, James
Rank: Private. Service No. 3526926.
Date of death 22nd June 1943
Age 29.
The Manchester Regiment.
Grave reference: B4.M.14. Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, Myanmar, Burma.
COWDEN, John Duncan Forbes
Rank: Flight Lieutenant Pilot. Service No. 178046.
Date of death 14th February 1945
Age 23.
635 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Awarded the DFC.
Grave Reference: 9.A.18-23 Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany.
Son of Mary Cowden, of Prestwich, Lancashire.
DUNKS, Geoffrey Frederick
Rank: Sergeant. Service No. 1005984.
Date of death 9th May 1942
Age 20.
Wireless Operator, Air Gunner, 158 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Grave reference: Coll. 8.A.16- 32 Berlin 1939 War Cemetery, Germany.
Son of Thomas and Ada Dunks.
DURANT, Edward Robinson
Rank: Flying Officer. Service No. 128701.
Date of death 3rd August 1944
Age 32.
Wireless Operator (Air), 61 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Grave reference: Plot 2. Grave 358, Creil Communal Cemetery, Oise, France.
Son of Edward and Winifred Durant, of Mapperley Park, Nottingham.
JONES, Charles Herbert
Rank: Sergeant. Service No. 3451476.
Date of death 4th January 1941
Age 22.
11th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers.
Grave reference: Section 5, Row 9, grave 133, Prestwich (St. Mary), Churchyard, Lancashire.
Husband of Madge Jones, of Prestwich, Clough.
POLLOCK, James Alexander
Rank: Sergeant. Service No. 1014104.
Date of death 13th July 1941 Age 24.
Pilot U/T, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Grave reference: Grave 12, Bulawayo (Athlone) Cemetery, Zimbabwe.
Son of Andrew and Edith Mary Pollock, of Manchester.
SAMUEL, Alan James
Rank: Ordinary Seaman. Service No. D/JX 345313.
Date of death 27th July 1943
Age 20.
Royal Navy, HMS Grey Shark. Grave reference: Panel 20, Manchester Crematorium.
Son of Edward Alfred and Margaret Samuel, of Manchester.
SANDERSON, John Edward
Rank: Flight Lieutenant. Service No. 142852.
Date of death 24th March 1944
Age 23.
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Awarded the DFC.
Grave reference: Sec. E. Grave 600, Salendine Nook Baptist Chapelyard, Yorkshire.
Son of William Edward and Marion Sanderson, of Withington, Manchester.
SHACKLETON, Harry Douglas
Rank: Gunner. Service No. 1493368.
Date of death 24th May 1945
Age 26.
Royal Artillery, 1 Bty., Searchlight Regt.
Awarded MM.
Grave reference: Sec.13.Vault 5.Cemetery, Haggate Baptist Chapelyard, Lancashire.
Son of Robinson G. and Margaret Shackleton, of Westhoughton.
SINGLETON, Denis Owen
Rank: Gunner. Service No. 936556.
Date of death 7 th January 1941
Age 21.
Royal Artillery, 51 The Westmorland and Cumberland Yeomanry Field Regiment.
Grave reference: 4. E. 1. Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt .
Son of Albert and Alice Norah Singleton, of Higher Blackley, Manchester.
WARD, Kenneth Rookby
Rank: Flight Sergeant, Navigator. Service No. 1459087.
Date of death 11th June 1944
Age 23.
166 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Grave reference: Coll. grave Mareil-leGuyon Communal Cemetery, Yvelines, France.
Son of Arthur Rookby and Edith Evelyn Ward, of Stockport, Cheshire.
WHITTAKER, Wallace Victor
Rank: Flying Officer, Pilot. Service No. 147755.
Date of death 19th May 1944
Age 22.
253 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Grave reference: 9. D. 6. Belgrade War Cemetery, Serbia.
Son of Victor and Agnes Whittaker, of Whitefield, Lancashire.
WILLIAMS, Jack
Rank: Sergeant. Service No. 1006041.
Date of death 10th July 1943
Age 32.
37 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Memorial reference: Panel 9, Column 2, Malta Memorial.
Husband of Ida Williams, of Jericho, Bury, Lancashire.
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