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Whitworth Hand Tap & Die set made by Greenfield Tap and Die Corporation during WWII

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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This tap & die set was used for cutting or repairing screw threads on metal parts. It had a narrow application because the specifications of the thread sizes were unique to countries of the British Commonwealth-a critical fact during World War II (WWII) when all of the military hardware of Britain used this thread standard. Two Greenfield, Massachusetts companies-Greenfield Tap & Die (GTD) and Threadwell-were critical to the British war effort because they were suppliers of these tools during the war. The small town of Greenfield had a surprisingly large concentration of industries vital to the war effort, and employed an estimated 7,000 workers. Greenfield was even protected by an anti-aircraft battery, able to shoot down German bombers.

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