ABSTRACT
The most visible manifestation of Coventry's involvement in the First World War was a swift and marked acceleration of building activity as existing factories were extended and new ones built to accommodate the growth of military production. Coventry's industrial structure ensured that the city would be heavily involved in the manufacture of military equipment and by the end of 1915 most of the city's large engineering firms were on a full war footing and under government supervision as controlled establishments. Motor-vehicle manufacture was perhaps more profoundly influenced by the onset of war than any other sector of Coventry's engineering industry. New production techniques helped to expand output and the threefold increase in electricity consumption in Coventry during the war was partly accounted for by the growing application of machine tools in the engineering sector. Trade union membership within Coventry's motor industry was significantly strengthened by the First World War.
