# GEC Energy Systems, Whetstone, Leicestershire - Jan '13



## KM Punk (Apr 28, 2015)

History

Hidden away lies a key element of history, Frank Whittle's Factory is where jet engines were
developed. Dedicating to this workers were woken up at 8am by an air raid siren,
this continued up until 2002.

Sir Frank Whittle was a British Royal Air Force Engineer Air Officer, and he invented the
turbojet engine. Frank Whittle had the backing of the Air Ministry, and so he also had two retired
RAF servicemen to assist him set up Power Jets Ltd to build the engine itself.
The engine – a W2/500 – was one of only five built by Whittle in the 1940s.

The factory later on employed more than 4,000 workers as it became The English Electric Company (Later GEC), made in the 1960's and 70's it was part of several Nuclear power stations. In order to sustain the
factory hundreds of apprentices were trained each year, and those 4,000 workers had been
shipped from Middlesex due to the shortage of labour. The computer performance measurement called the
'whetstone' was developed by English Electric at the factory, and takes its name from the town itself.

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Cheers for Looking​


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## krela (Apr 29, 2015)

More than a little trashed! Cheers.


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## DarkMagpie91 (Apr 29, 2015)

Is this still accessible?


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## Newage (Apr 29, 2015)

A building with a real history that reaches out in to all our lives, pity it's so trashed but look cool
Never the less.

Cheers newage


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## The Wombat (Apr 29, 2015)

DarkMagpie91 said:


> Is this still accessible?



Probably; it was when i had a look last year
The 2nd building at the back has been demolished


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## UrbanX (May 1, 2015)

Liking this a lot! Sure it's trashed, but you've got some fantastic images out of the place! 
Hat's off to ya!


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## KM Punk (May 2, 2015)

Cheers for the positive feedback


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## Widget83 (Dec 1, 2022)

I used to work there! Even though it's trashed it still good to see as a reminder of my 1st job from leaving school!


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## BikinGlynn (Dec 1, 2022)

Widget83 said:


> I used to work there! Even though it's trashed it still good to see as a reminder of my 1st job from leaving school!



always interesting to see paces you have a history with. Im guessing its long gone now.


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## HistoryBuff (Dec 1, 2022)

Widget83 said:


> I used to work there! Even though it's trashed it still good to see as a reminder of my 1st job from leaving school!


Welcome! Interesting indeed to be a part of it.


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