to badge-engineered AEC designs and bus bodywork, until the factory was closed in 1958 and sold in 1959. Although no longer trading, the company was never formally wound up. In 1969, AEC's new owner, British Leyland, restarted the company with a new name – Leyland National – and production of single-decker buses recommenced. Factories Production was originally in the Crossley Brothers factory in Openshaw, Manchester but in 1907 moved to a nearby site in Napier Street, Gorton. (Napier Street was later renamed Crossley Street). With the steady increase in vehicle production, the limits of the Gorton site were in turn soon reached, and in 1914 a further 48 acre (194,000 m²) site was bought in Heaton Chapel, Stockport which became the Errwood Park Works. Construction of the new factory started in 1915, and although intended to relieve congestion on the old site, it was rapidly given over to war work. The western half of the site, built in 1917, but only managed by Crossley Motors, became National Aircraft Factory No. 2. In 1919, this factory was bought from the government and became the Willys Overland Crossley plant, but was eventually sold to Fairey Aviation in 1934. In 1938, the eastern side became another aircraft factory, this time managed by Fairey, and after World War II, it became the final home of Crossley Motors. Re-armament work caused the search for more space and in 1938 a factory was opened in Greencroft Mill, Hyde, about east of Errwood Park. Labour activism Jack Munro was a shop steward at Crossley Motors during the First World War. He was also active in the shop stewards movement in Manchester. He played leading role in the 1917 strike at the factory. As well as Munro, Harry Ingle, Jack Halstead and Fred Flood were active in the Plebs League and part of the Crossley Shop Stewards Committee. They organised a class of 109 students studying economics from a marxist perspective. Munro and Ingle went on to play a part in the Manchester Labour College. Vehicles Production of the first cars was on a small scale but from 1909 when a new range was introduced it rapidly built up. In that year the 20 hp was introduced (later called the 20/25) and this was taken up by the War Office and from 1913 it was ordered for the new Royal Flying Corps (RFC). The outbreak of World War