The outbreak of war with Germany in 1914 led to lucrative contracts for the company including the production of 1,500 tons of TNT . The sites facilities were expanded considerably during the war including the construction of a new azo dyes plant ( building 183 ) in 1918 . TNT manufacture at the plant ceased following a series of accidents at other explosives factories such as those at Silvertown and Ashton-under-Lyne . Sylvain Dreyfus , a nephew of Charles Dreyfus , perished in the Ashton-under-Lyne disaster when the Hooley Hill Rubber and Chemical Works exploded . These and other accidents prompted the Government to concentrate explosives manufacture at factories sited well away from built up areas
Silvertown
Silvertown explosion
Clayton Aniline Company