The
Nuffield Organisation was a
vehicleA vehicle is a mechanical means of conveyance, a carriage or transport. Most often they are manufactured , although some other means of transport which are not made by humans also may be called vehicles; examples include icebergs and floating tree trunks.Vehicles may be propelled or pulled by...
manufacturing company in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. Named after its founder,
William Morris, 1st Viscount NuffieldWilliam Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield GBE CH was the founder of the Morris Motor Company and a philanthropist....
, it was formed in 1938 as the merger of Nuffield's
Morris Motor CompanyThe Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque.-Early...
(already having acquired
Wolseley MotorsThe Wolseley Motor Company was a British automobile manufacturer founded in 1901. After 1935 it was incorporated into larger companies but the Wolseley name remained as an upmarket marque until 1975.-History:...
in 1927), another of Nuffield's companies the
MG Car CompanyMG Cars is a former British sports car manufacturer, which was founded in 1924.MG Cars is best known for its two-seat open sports cars, but MG also produced saloons and coupés...
and
RileyRiley was a British motorcar and bicycle manufacturer from 1890. The company became part of the Nuffield Organisation in 1938 and was later merged into British Leyland. Today, the trademark is owned by BMW.-Riley Cycle Company:...
.
Morris Motors Ltd included
Morris Commercial CarsMorris Commercial Cars Limited was a British manufacturer of commercial vehicles founded by William Morris, who was also the founder of the Morris Motor Company.-History:...
which made light commercial vehicles such as
vanA van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. It is usually a box-shaped vehicle on four wheels, about the same width and length as a large automobile, but taller and usually higher off the ground, also referred to as a light commercial vehicle or LCV...
s.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Nuffield was engaged in military production.
The
Nuffield Organisation was a
vehicleA vehicle is a mechanical means of conveyance, a carriage or transport. Most often they are manufactured , although some other means of transport which are not made by humans also may be called vehicles; examples include icebergs and floating tree trunks.Vehicles may be propelled or pulled by...
manufacturing company in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. Named after its founder,
William Morris, 1st Viscount NuffieldWilliam Richard Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield GBE CH was the founder of the Morris Motor Company and a philanthropist....
, it was formed in 1938 as the merger of Nuffield's
Morris Motor CompanyThe Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque.-Early...
(already having acquired
Wolseley MotorsThe Wolseley Motor Company was a British automobile manufacturer founded in 1901. After 1935 it was incorporated into larger companies but the Wolseley name remained as an upmarket marque until 1975.-History:...
in 1927), another of Nuffield's companies the
MG Car CompanyMG Cars is a former British sports car manufacturer, which was founded in 1924.MG Cars is best known for its two-seat open sports cars, but MG also produced saloons and coupés...
and
RileyRiley was a British motorcar and bicycle manufacturer from 1890. The company became part of the Nuffield Organisation in 1938 and was later merged into British Leyland. Today, the trademark is owned by BMW.-Riley Cycle Company:...
.
Morris Motors Ltd included
Morris Commercial CarsMorris Commercial Cars Limited was a British manufacturer of commercial vehicles founded by William Morris, who was also the founder of the Morris Motor Company.-History:...
which made light commercial vehicles such as
vanA van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. It is usually a box-shaped vehicle on four wheels, about the same width and length as a large automobile, but taller and usually higher off the ground, also referred to as a light commercial vehicle or LCV...
s.
Second World War
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Nuffield was engaged in military production. Among their activities was production of the
Liberty L-12The Liberty L-12 was a 27 litre water-cooled 45° V-12 aircraft engine of 400 horsepower designed both for a high power-to-weight ratio and for ease of mass production.-History:...
engine for use in British tanks of the period. In 1939 one of their subsidiaries was given the opportunity to take part in production of the
Covenanter tankThe Tank, Cruiser, Mk V, Covenanter was a British Cruiser tank of the Second World War. It was named for the Covenanters, a Scottish religious faction in the British Isles at the time of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
then being designed but opted to develop their own version of the design which became the
Crusader tankThe Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI Crusader was one of the primary British cruiser tanks of the Second World War and perhaps the most important British tank of the North African Campaign. However, due to its reputation for unreliability and relatively thin armour, it was replaced by American tanks for the...
. They followed this with the
Cavalier tankThe Tank, Cruiser, Mk VII Cavalier was an unsuccessful design of British cruiser tank during World War II. It suffered from an underpowered engine, and problems because of the rush to design and build it.- History :...
which used the Liberty engine as well. The tank was built but the power of the Liberty was limited and with the increase in tank weight the Cavalier was not used in combat. The last tank the Liberty was produced for was the A27L Centaur tank, effectively an underpowered
Cromwell tankThe Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell , named after the English Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell, was one of the most successful series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in World War II. It was the first tank in the British arsenal to combine a dual-purpose gun, high speed, and reasonable armour...
.
Commercial vehicles in the Morris range were produced for military use - such as the
Morris C8The Morris Commercial C8 FAT commonly known as a Quad was an artillery tractor of the British and Commonwealth forces during World War II....
and Morris Commercial also built vehicles such as the
Terrapin amphibious carrierThe Terrapin "4-ton amphibian" was a British-manufactured, amphibious armoured transport vehicle of the Second World War. It was first used at Antwerp in 1944, and to great effect during the Battle of the Scheldt....
Post war
Automobile production of Morris, MG, Wolseley and Riley marques restarted in the 1940s.
Post war, Nuffield vice chairman, Sir Miles Thomas, announced to the I.S.M.A at Hull in 1946 "Nuffield to Make Tractors". Production started in 1948 with the
Nuffield UniversalThe Nuffield Universal was a tractor produced by the British Nuffield Organisation and its successor the British Motor Corporation from 1948....
tractorA tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
, launched at the Smithfield show in December 1948. Designed by former
David Brown Ltd.David Brown Engineering Limited is a British engineering company, principally engaged in the manufacture of gears and gearboxes. Their major gear manufacturing plant is in Swan Lane, Lockwood, Huddersfield, adjacent to Lockwood railway station...
tractor designer Dr. H E Merritt, who had been involved in tank design during the war.
Tractor manufacture was undertaken at the former Wolseley factory in Birmingham.
The Nuffield Organisation merged with the
Austin Motor CompanyThe Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles that rose to be a major motorcar brand, the dominant partner after merger with Morris in 1952 but declining after absorption into the British Leyland Motor Corporation, and its subsequent troubles.-History:-1905 - 1918: Formation...
to form the
British Motor CorporationThe British Motor Corporation was a UK vehicle company, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
in 1952.
Following the Merger of BMC with Leyland Motors the Nuffield tractor brand became
Leyland tractorsLeyland tractors was created after the merger of the British Motor Corporation with Leyland Motors to form British Leyland in 1968. Nuffield Tractors had been started after World war II by Lord Nuffield owner of the Morris Motor Company which had become part of BMC in 1951.After the merger Leyland...
in 1968, production was transferred to
BathgateBathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway west of Livingston. Neighbouring towns are Blackburn, Armadale, Fauldhouse, Whitburn, Livingston, Stoneyburn, and Linlithgow. Edinburgh Airport is away...
in Scotland.
See also
- Marshall, Sons & Co.
Marshall, Sons & Co. was a British agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in 1848. The company was based in the Britannia Iron Works, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.-History:...
- Part taken over by Leyland,
- Track Marshall - Nuffield tractors renamed Marshall after sale by Leyland.