Special Acknowledgement: Once again we are greatly indebted to John Maple for his kindness in sharing these rare images from his family archive. Without his generosity and his keen eye for detail, this vital chapter of the Lancing Carriage Works story might have remained hidden. Thank you, John.
The Lancing Belle: The Industrial Arterial
While Frank Lucas was ferrying workers across the canal at Portslade, a much larger transport operation was moving the masses. The Lancing Belle was the dedicated workmen's train that ran specifically to serve the Carriage Works.
- The Route: It collected staff from Brighton, Hove, and Portslade, steaming along the coast to the dedicated 'halt' at the Lancing workshops.
- The Purpose: At its peak, it carried hundreds of skilled labourers, including many of the 105,000 women who had joined the railway effort by 1943.
- The Defence: Because this train carried the lifeblood of the works, the entire route had to be heavily defended by the Bofors gun positions.
The Locomotive: LB&SCR A1/A1X "Terrier" Class
The "Lancing Belle" name is often associated with the Stroudley A1 Class tank engines. These were 0-6-0T locomotives designed by William Stroudley, famous for their high acceleration and "barking" exhaust. At Lancing, specific Terriers were used as shunters to move heavy carriage bodies.
Part 5: The Lancing Squad – Precision on the Front Line
The "Watch on the Cliffs" was kept by the men who built the Southern Railway.
As the war reached its height in 1941, the Lancing Carriage Works became a fortress. Among the workmen who traded their tools for Bofors guns was Frederick James Maple, a Driller from the Frame Shop. These photographs capture the "Lancing Squad" of the 18th Sussex (Home Guard) Battalion—men who spent their days in the machine shops and their nights on the heights of Ovingdean Gap.
Photo 1: The Lancing Squad. Fred Maple stands on the far left of the back row (marked with the yellow arrow).
Photo 2: The 'Watch on the Cliffs.' Looking through the sea fret toward Roedean School. Notice the Loader high on the platform ready to feed the four-shell clips.
John Maple clarifies: "While the Lancing crew trained at Ovingdean, their primary mission was the four-corner defence of the Works. There were four Bofors guns in total—two on the ground and two on towers."
Photo 3: Engineering on the Front Line. 'Layers' in their seats, controlling elevation and traverse with the same steady hands used back at the 'Sheds.'
A Lancing Gunner’s Glossary
- The Bofors 40mm: The "Ferrari" of AA guns; could fire 120 explosive shells a minute.
- The Layer: Seated gunners controlling elevation and traverse via hand-wheels.
- The Loader: Stood on the platform physically dropping 4-shell clips into the breech.
- Stiffkey Sight: The circular metal "spiderweb" used to "lead" a target.
The Layout of the "Steel Ring"
| Location in Works | Likely Armament | Protecting... |
|---|---|---|
| Power House Roof | Lewis Guns / Bren | The factory's "Heart" (Power). |
| North Sidings | Bofors 40mm | The Railway approach from Worthing. |
| South Gate/Frame Shop | Light AA | The main workforce entrance. |
| The Traverser | Bofors 40mm | The long corridor between the Sheds. |
How Factory Noise Helped the Gunners
Inside the perimeter, theRelentless industrial roar provided "Acoustic Camouflage." The pounding of heavy drop-hammers in Fred Maple’s Frame Shop created a wall of white noise that could momentarily mask the "thump-thump-thump" of a Bofors from a German pilot.
The "Hand-Signal" Discipline: Because it was impossible to hear orders, the crews used arm signals like railway signalmen:
- Arms extended: "Traverse"
- One arm raised: "Increase Elevation"
- Slash across throat: "Cease Fire"
Community Mystery: Who was C. Smith?
Reader Graham Hill has a saw vice stamped with the name C. Smith, who worked with his grandfather, Len "Toby" Cloke. Smith was likely a Body Maker or Carpenter who shared Firewatch shifts. Was your relative a Charles, Cyril, or Clifford Smith? We’d love to reunite this tool with his family!
