The War Years
Malcolm Hanson
For most of the war all rubber including that of I.T.S. was put into bond, and from 1942 until 1947 production of Minibrix was suspended. During hostilities I.T.S. made an important contribution to the war effort. Amongst many parts they produced were rubber tank treads, instrument suspension systems for mines and torpedoes and diaphragms for mines. Most famously, however, they pioneered the characteristically shaped rubber soles for commando boots.
As well as being a very competent businessman Arnold Levy was also a prolific writer. Even before the war he had written about his religious origins in "The History of the Sunderland Jewish Community" and "The Story of Gateshead Yeshivah". But during the war he took the trouble to chronicle the lives of people of the time and in particular their working lives He was a pioneer of the 45 hour, 5 day working week and in "How Britain Lives" (1942), "Inside Britain Today" (1943) and "This I Recall" (1945) both described wartime conditions and promoted his social beliefs.
