YorksPast

What are gudgeons? Why were they important during World War II? They are one of the little know war materials made in York as part of the York Plan, and they are part of the Home Front story of Esther Smith.

While Harold Smith served 3-years and 1-month in the Army Air Forces during WWII, the introductory illustration lists the four York area war production factories where his wife Esther worked. From 2018 to the present YorksPast posts have explored the first three of those Home Front plants. This post looks at gudgeons, one of the tank parts associated with the fourth Home Front plant.

In 2018, the H. J. Freezer Company, maker of Army and Navy apparel, was explored and the location of this plant was pinpointed in Spring Garden Township. In 2019, research looked into the General Electric plant on Boundary Avenue, which manufactured rocket igniters for bazookas.

In 2025, digging deeper into York-Shipley’s Pennsylvania Avenue plant resulted in the story of the final years of Trolley service in York, since one of the Trolley Car Barns was converted to create that war production facility for York-Shipley. Research into the fog machine produced at that plant resulted in a neat follow-up post. In January 2026, the research began into the fourth Home Front plant, by sharing York-Shipley’s York Plan report produced by the Manufacturers’ Association of York at war’s end, showing the range of products they produced for the war effort.

Applying rust preventative treatment to tank parts

Esther Smith applied rust preventative treatment to tank parts at York-Shipley’s Jessop Place plant during the last 2-months of WWII. Her memories of that job gave rise to various stages of gudgeon explorations.

Esther Smith recalled pallets and bins of several types of tank parts, manufactured at the various York-Shipley plant sites, arrived throughout the day in their area inside the Jessop Place plant. One worker was assigned to each of five identical rust proofing lines. Each line began with degreasing and ended with the parts in a box. When Esther worked at York-Shipley, women operated all these rust proofing lines, on both first and second shift.

There was one male supervisor that oversaw this rust proofing area. He gave directions and assigned the tank part each worker processed, which changed from day to day and sometimes during the shift. Occasionally all lines processed the same part.

Each line worker loaded parts into a fixture holding many parts, so that groups of parts could be processed at one time. After the parts were in the fixture, the worker used a line crane to lift the fixture, with parts, into a degreasing tank.

Following degreasing, workers were only allowed to touch the fixture, never the parts, until after the parts were coated. The next step was using the crane to lower the fixture, with parts, into the rust preventative solution. While that group of parts hangs over the rust proofing tank, the line worker starts packing parts, from a previous already processed group, into a wire bound wooden box. Esther recalled the coated parts had a waxy feel to them.

When the part count matches the number stenciled on the box, the lid is closed. That is the signal for a box runner to slide the box unto a handcart and set in its place the appropriate empty box already labeled with its quantity and contents. Esther thought the box runners must have been 15 or 16-years old, of course she worked there during the summer, so that is possible since schools were out.

While packing, the line worker glances at the parts hanging over the rust proofing tank. When parts stop dripping, the line worker moves that fixture, with parts, to a drying rack and finishes boxing remaining parts at the packing station. When done, that empty fixture is taken via line crane to the beginning of the line, and the processing steps repeat for that line worker.

Introduction to Gudgeons

Of the various tank parts Esther Smith rust proofed at York-Shipley she only remembered the name of one part. It was the gudgeon, maybe because it was such an unusual name, but also recalling her supervisor’s often repeated cautious saying, “Handle the gudgeons with care, they keep tank suspensions working for our boys.”

Soon after Esther Smith revealed those details, I discovered 24 gudgeons are typically used in each WWII era tank, where 12 serve as suspension wheel axles and 12 serve as pivots in suspension bogies. An interesting point made in my reference source, the heavy weight of the tank is held by only those 12 axle gudgeons.

In continuing my research this year, I was curious if the York County History Center had details about gudgeons. My search revealed a 16mm film, with sound, produced by York-Shipley early in WWII. It was entitled “Rolling Out The Gudgeons.” Adam Bentz, Director of Library and Archives, located a DVD that had been made from the film years ago. It also contained a companion film, “Rings Around The Axis,” about production of the ball race tank turret assemblies, which York-Shipley supplied to five tank manufacturers.

The following slide includes a scene of gudgeons being packed after rust proofing. It is from near the end of the 1943 film, “Rolling Out The Gudgeons.” This is not Esther Smith, however comment if you know this woman.

The film shows axle gudgeons being removed from the fixture sitting on the packing rack. They are then inserted into cardboard tubes, a few of which lie between the fixture and the wire bound box, before being placed in the box.

I noticed a patch on the shoulder of the woman in the photo. At the time the Jessop Place plant was known as Thomas Shipley, Inc.’s York Oil Burner facility. A Google search revealed the following type of patch likely worn by the woman in the photo.

Thomas Shipley, Inc. company name is changed to York-Shipley, Inc.

In 1926, Thomas Shipley, Inc. was established as a holding company for Tom’s stock in sales businesses associated with the York Manufacturing Company. To this holding company other companies, originated by Tom, were added: the Roosevelt Garage and Supply Company which became part of Roosevelt Oil Service, and a Canadian affiliate of the York Manufacturing Company, which Tom owned outright.

After Tom Shipley died in 1930, his brother William S. Shipley becomes the new President of the York Ice Machinery Company, leading the company through the rapid switch away from ice making into air conditioning products and then championing the York Plan during WWII.

Tom Shipley’s son Raymond T. Shipley left the company after the death of his father and started his own refrigeration company in New England, financed via Thomas Shipley, Inc. Samuel H. Shipley and Howard V. Shipley climbed up through company management at York, with Sam rising to the position of General Manager, once held by his father. When it became clear that Stewart Lauer was being groomed to replace their Uncle William S. Shipley, as president of the company, Samuel and Howard Shipley decided to resign their positions at the company and focus on growing the holdings of Thomas Shipley, Inc.

In 1938, the opportunity arose to buy the York Oil Burner Company from Ed Kraber and Bob Hoffman. Samuel and Howard Shipley sold some of the York stock within the Thomas Shipley, Inc. holding company to purchase the York Oil Burner Company. As a result of that purchase, Bob Hoffman had the capital to start York Barbell Company.

Howard V. Shipley moved to Canada and became president of the refrigeration company started by his father. Samuel H. Shipley managed the holding company, Thomas Shipley, Inc., and the two operating companies, York Oil Burner Company and Roosevelt Oil Service.

During WWII, Samuel H. Shipley wanted to brand their products, made for the war effort, as proudly Made-in-York by Shipley. York-Shipley, Inc. was the new company name effective September 23, 1943.

After the name change, York Oil Burner Company, Inc. is a Subsidiary of York-Shipley, Inc. and is located at Jessop Place & Pa. R.R. Roosevelt Oil Service is a Division of York-Shipley, Inc. and is located along Grantley Road.

Where gudgeons are located and their use in tanks

Gudgeons are used as axles and pivots in suspension bogies of tanks. The following slide highlights where gudgeons are located and their use in a Sherman tank. During WWII, York-Shipley, Inc. produced gudgeons and axles for 36,000 tanks and tracklocking parts for 22,000 tanks. Those numbers come from the York-Shipley, Inc. report as part of York Plan reports produced by the Manufacturers’ Association of York at war’s end.

A better graphic, showing the gudgeons in 3-D, is the following exploded view of the lower part of a tank suspension bogie. The larger axle gudgeon (Part No. B208960) in the lower left is what is shown being packed by the woman in the film frame.

The gudgeons (Part No. 7410831), in the upper right, serve as suspension bogie pivots and are important for a smoother ride over rough terrain. Where when one wheel in the suspension bogie hits a bump, the bogie pivots, forcing the other wheel down to maintain track tension and keep the tank stable.

War Production in the Roosevelt Garage

I recalled seeing a photo of the Roosevelt Garage in the opening frames of both 16mm films: “Rolling Out The Gudgeons” and “Rings Around The Axis.” In using Newspapers .com and trade publications I discovered it was one of the plants producing some, or most, of the gudgeons and tank turret assemblies by Thomas Shipley, Inc. / York-Shipley, Inc.

The Roosevelt Garage at 161 Roosevelt Avenue was pressed into war production service when machinery was installed in March 1943 to increase production facilities of gudgeons and other tank parts. The following photo of the Roosevelt Garage is from page 240 of the 1946 publication “The Story of a Dynamic Community, York Pennsylvania,” published by York Chamber of Commerce. This building now serves as the home of Kottcamp Sheet Metal, using the address 145 Roosevelt Avenue.

On July 15, 1943, York Oil Burner employees of Thomas Shipley, Inc. held their annual dinner at the Valencia ballroom. Samuel H. Shipley, president, was toastmaster. About 600 persons attended. Two talking motion pictures showed the making of war products at the company’s plants. They were titled: “Rolling Out The Gudgeons” and “Rings Around The Axis.”

Also on page 240 of the 1946 publication “The Story of a Dynamic Community, York Pennsylvania,” published by York Chamber of Commerce, is the following internal photo. The structure and window style indicate it is a view inside the Roosevelt Garage at 161 Roosevelt Avenue. Racks of steel billets are seen around machinery, which are the size of the raw material needed to machine axle gudgeons via lathes and grinders. Women operated most of these machines in the film.

With President Truman’s announcement of Japan’s surrender on Tuesday August 14, 1945, all York-Shipley plants were closed the following day. When Esther Smith returned to work on August 16 she was informed because she was in the group with the lowest seniority, August 17 was her last day of work.

York-Shipley, at the beginning of the war had one plant and 75 employees. By VJ-Day, the corporation had expanded to 4 plants and 550 employees.

Click on this LINK for a yorkblog.com Full View of the photos and illustrations in this post.

Links to related posts:

York-Shipley in the York Plan

Film shows key Sherman Tank component being made in York

WWII Fog Machines by York-Shipley

Trolley Car Barn was a WWII York-Shipley factory

York-Shipley connections

GE plant in York produced rocket igniters

Esther Smith Christmas Portraits during WWII

Army and Navy apparel made by the H. J. Freezer Company

H. J. Freezer plant location in Spring Garden Township