WW1 and the part the Tyneside munitions company played

As events are held around the world to mark the centenary of the outbreak of World War One, Gerry Jackson reports on the role one Tyneside company played.

During WW1, Armstrong-Whitworth's headquarters stretched more than a mile along the banks of the River Tyne.

Starting life in 1847, William Armstrong opened a small factory making cranes, it quickly expanded into armament production and shipbuilding.

Throughout WW1, the Elswick Works produced a huge quantity of munitions including ships, guns and shells and by 1918, the company employed 78,000 people, 60,000 of them on the Tyne.