Thomas De La Rue was well-known for its major plastics contributions to World War II as well as its stylish radios and telephones
In the late 1930s, Thomas De La Rue Co. entered into a collaboration with the General Post Office, producing components and coloured telephones over many years.
During World War II the Avenue Works and supporting sites nearby were probably the largest plastics moulding group in Europe. The produced bakelite grenade parts for the armed forces, and communications equipment and shaped mouldings for Wellington bomber aeroplanes, and were advanced with injection moulding, using new polythene resins for radar and radio.
By 1945 the company had over 3,000 workers, and quickly moved into new plastics such as nylon and polystyrene.
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