Britannia Batteries
of Britannia Works, Union Street, Redditch, Worcestershire. Telephone: Redditch 155. Telegraphic Address: "Britanicus, Redditch"
1887 Büsche and Müller established in Hagen, Germany[1].
1890 With the participation of AEG and Siemens, the company's name was changed to Accumulatoren Fabrik AG, or AFA.
1904 The VARTA subsidiary set up in Berlin (VARTA = Vertrieb, Aufladung, Reparatur, Transportabler Akkumulatoren) for the distribution of small, portable lead-acid batteries.
1928 Edison Accumulators Ltd was acquired by Accumulatoren Fabrik AG; name changed to Britannia Batteries Ltd.
1929 Britannia Batteries Ltd commenced making dry batteries and lead acid batteries on the site of the old BSA factory at Union Street, Redditch.
1931 Edison Storage Battery Co won an action against Britannia Batteries Ltd; Edison Accumulators Ltd and Mr John Ferreol Monnot protecting the name "Edison" rather than allowing it to be used as a general descriptor of batteries.[2]
1930s They also commenced production of alkaline batteries using materials from Alklum Storage Batteries Ltd, of Halifax, Yorkshire.
1933 Chloride Electrical Storage Co acquired a controlling interest in Batteries Ltd and renamed it Nife Batteries Ltd. The purchase included the NIFE brand name for use in the British Commonwealth. The Swedish company retained the NIFE brand for use elsewhere and used the brand Jungner within the British Commonwealth.
1936 Chloride acquired Britannia Batteries Ltd. This gave them the Union Street plant and also the Britannia and Alklum brand names.
1937 Dry battery and accumulator manufacturers. "Britannia"; "Bulldog" Batteries. "Pertrix" Batteries. [3]
1937 Listed Exhibitor - British Industries Fair. Britannia Vehicle Batteries (both lead-acid and alkaline types). Britannia Stationary Batteries for every electric storage purpose. Pertrix Starting, Lighting and Ignition Batteries. Pertrix Radio Accumulators. Pertrix Non-Salammoniac Dry Batteries for Radio and Torches. (Stand No. Cb603) [4]
1939 See Aircraft Industry Suppliers
1947 Nife Batteries Ltd and Britannia Batteries Ltd were merged to form Alkaline Batteries Ltd., operating from the Union Street site.
See also history of Alcad[5]
See Also
Sources of Information
- [3] Alcad History
- ↑ History of Varta [1]
- ↑ The Times Mar. 19, 1931
- ↑ 1937 The Aeroplane Directory of the Aviation and Allied Industries
- ↑ 1937 British Industries Fair Page 338
- ↑ [2] History of Alcad