Page 37 - CinemaRecord #83

these projectors were made at the the Australian cinema industry. Any
factory; for example the factory did collectors with such items should regard
not make lenses or electric motors. them as precious parts of Australia's picture
The factory's museum has a display theatre history. H
of components made at Lithgow.
Author' s Acknowledgement:
When CinemaScope was introduced
to Australia in the early to mid- Permission was granted by Tony Griffiths, writer
1950s, certain cinemas were of Lithgow's Small Arms Factory and its People
equipped for 4-track magnetic stereo to use information contained in his book and I am
sound by adding a so-called most grateful for this.
"penthouse" magnetic sound reader
to existing projectors. The sound Images:
head was installed on top of the Best available images have been used
projector mechanism and below the
film supply spool box.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FACTORY
There were a number of makers of Opened on 8 June 1912, the factory
penthouse sound heads including initially manufactured Short, Magazine,
Westrex, and it was suggested to the Lee-Enfield Mk III rifles (and bayonets
author of this article that the Westrex thereof) for the Australian military during
units were made at Lithgow. The World War I. During World War II
Small Arms Factory historian did not production expanded to include Vickers
know about this and was doubtful
machine guns, Bren Guns.
that Lithgow was involved.
Post-WW 2, it branched out into sporting
After a lot of research and blind
goods (including civilian firearms and
byways, the author finally located a golf clubs), tools and sewing machines.
surviving Australian Westrex
A number of finished WE bases lined up at the factory From the mid-1950s the F1 submachine
installation engineer who confirmed gun, L1A1 Self Loading Rifle, KAL1
A contract for at least 50 sets was completed in that the penthouse mechanisms were imported. General Purpose Infantry Rifle prototype
1930–31 before the onset of the Great and similar products were produced. The
Depression slowed things down. With the current wholesale scrapping of film Small Arms Factory at Lithgow was
projectors in favour of digital units, it is unlikely known to produce their single shot models
The Factory did not make universal bases from that there are many surviving examples of the 1A and 1B as well as their model 12
scratch; a former employee recalled seeing the Lithgow Small Arms Factory's contribution to repeater under the Slazenger brand during
bases being assembled from factory-made parts,
the 1960s.
probably castings, and other parts,
most likely the optical sound heads, The factory was first 'corporatised' as
that Westrex had brought in from
Australian Defence Industries by the
elsewhere. Hawke Government, then later sold in
2006. ADI Lithgow is now owned by
The Westrex project was important
to the factory to the extent that Thales Australia and continues to
manufacture the F88 Austeyr rifle and
drawings for the Vickers machine
gun were delayed while the F89 Minimi currently used by the
Drawing Office and Tool Room Australian military.
concentrated on the universal There is a museum on site with a large
bases. The project is reported to collection of military and civilian firearms
have been worth about £30,000 per
manufactured at the factory and
annum, although there is some elsewhere. Opened to the public in
doubt regarding this figure. Work October of 1996, the L.S.A.F. Museum
for Western Electric fell away after
displays items of historical, cultural,
1931–32.
military and commercial nature from the
Small Arms Factory.
The Universal Bases were not only
sold on the local market but were Previously an in-house reference
also exported and one George collection, in 1999 Australian Defence
Burns, manager of the Theatre Industries made a gift of their historic
Royal in Lithgow, saw the collection of some 1,000 service firearms,
factory's Westrex products being edged weapons and associated items to
unpacked in New York in 1932. the volunteer-run Lithgow Small Arms
Lithgow's Trades Hall Theatre Museum Inc.
and the Theatre Royal both used
Westrex equipment. New displays are ongoing and more
recently include many handguns, rifles
After World War II, the factory's and other items from the Ron Hayes
"commercial work" included more collection. This superb collection,
Westrex products. The production probably one of the finest privately-
of arc lamps and optical sound owned pistol collections in the southern
heads parts commenced in late hemisphere, was gifted to the Lithgow
1945. In the 1947–48 Financial Small Arms Museum at the official launch
Year about 100 complete of the new Hayes Handgun Omnibus book
projectors were assembled under on 29 July 2007.
the Centrex brand. Not all parts for

CINEMARECORD # 83 37