The roots of Triumph Explosives can be traced back to several small fireworks plants established in the Elkton area shortly after World War I. As the conflict in Europe escalated, these plants began receiving contracts to produce signal flares, so they shifted to producing war materials. Investors incorporated Triumph Explosives in the 1930s as European contracts swelled. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, defense requirements resulted in tremendous growth in the demand for ordnance, with the company expanding from a few hundred to around 11,500 workers to meet the surging needs of the Army and Navy.2<\/a><\/sup>,<\/sup>3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n This hurried expansion called for an internal publication to keep employees informed and engaged. In June 1942, Winifred W. Gregory launched the Elkton plants’ in-house organ, TNT.4<\/a><\/sup>,<\/sup>5<\/a><\/sup> Under her leadership as the editor for 25 months, the magazine became a vital source of news, entertainment, and inspiration for the workforce. TNT skillfully balanced the gravity of wartime work with lighter content to maintain high morale among employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the summer of 1944, the Navy transferred Gregory\u2019s husband to Nevada, prompting the family to move with the chief ordnance inspector. In her final column, \u201cEditor\u2019s Adieu,\u201d Gregory reflected on her time with the magazine: \u201cWe try to give you a magazine you can be proud to send home, but we remember that this is a war plant, and it won\u2019t be too fancy. The same feeling is behind the content of the magazine. We try to hold to the middle course, giving you a few laughs, all the personal items we can gather, and reminders that you ought to buy bonds and give blood, and above every bit of information we get on the performance of the ammunition we make at Triumph.\u201d6<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n Following Gregory\u2019s departure, Harold F. Hall, a graduate of Notre Dame University, assumed the role of editor. Hall emphasized that the magazine should be tailored to the needs and interests of the employees and encouraged contributions from everyone.7<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n TNT\u2019s last edition, Volume 4, Number 2, came off the printing press in July 1945. Throughout the war years, the monthly had offered a diverse range of content.8<\/a><\/sup> Readers would find personal stories of employees, from their hobbies and family life to their wartime contributions and community involvement. The pages always featured social events, such as dances, picnics, and blood drives. They also included humor sections with cartoons, jokes, and lighthearted anecdotes. Importantly, Triumph News Topics served as a platform for employee voices, featuring letters to the editor, poems, and even short stories written by fellow workers. This multifaceted approach ensured that the magazine remained engaging and relevant to the diverse interests of a large industrial workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In conclusion, company trade magazines like TNT are invaluable for historical research. They provide a window into the lives and contributions during wartime, enabling us to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences and resilience. By exploring these publications, we can better appreciate the stories like those at Triumph Explosives and piece together the rich tapestry of their contributions to the war effort\u2014stories often overlooked in other historical sources. Furthermore, these serials also make them valuable for family history research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A nearly complete run of TNT is available at the Historical Society of Cecil County. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" During World War II, in-house magazines were vital channels for connecting employees engaged in critical wartime production. These internal publications not only informed workers about plant happenings but also fostered a sense of community and provided a unique glimpse into the daily lives of civilians contributing to national defense. Despite the wealth of information…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"Maryland in World War II: Industry and Agriculture<\/em> (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society. Ward Records Division. 1951), 429-433. HathiTrust https:\/\/babel.hathitrust.org\/cgi\/pt?id=wu.89058524646&seq=5![\"Winifred](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/triumph20250106_18564398-1.jpg?resize=436%2C750&ssl=1\")
<\/a>![\"Betty](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tnt.jpg?resize=487%2C643&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Researching Company Magazines<\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"Margie](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tnt-2.jpg?resize=485%2C659&ssl=1\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_133146aaa.jpg?resize=640%2C745&ssl=1\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dixonhistory.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_133149aaa.jpg?resize=640%2C855&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n
\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
\",\"id\":\"522b521e-a64b-4a01-9ed3-e1635081407a\"},{\"content\":\"Maryland in World War II<\/em>, 429-433.\",\"id\":\"aef07be5-7d9f-4d53-a844-2616c21ca767\"},{\"content\":\"The Employment Angle, <\/em>Vol. 3 Nos. 2-3 (Baltimore: Maryland State Employment, March-June 1941) Service, vertical files of Enoch Pratt Library. \",\"id\":\"80b3bebe-544b-4bb3-a01b-282509b2ff15\"},{\"content\":\"Triumph News Topics<\/em>, vol. 1, no. 2 (July 194), Triumph Explosives, Elkton, MD. Note: The information is taken from the second issue; the first issue was not located.\",\"id\":\"3789872c-ac4b-4e2a-be23-62a7d61105c8\"},{\"content\":\"\\\"Editor's Adieu,\\\" Triumph News Topics<\/em>, vol. 3, no. 1 (June 1944).\",\"id\":\"ac7ef50c-dac9-4817-9908-8a195b2eec8f\"},{\"content\":\"\\\"Editor's Adieu,\\\" Triumph News Topics<\/em>, vol. 3, no. 1 (June 1944), Triumph Explosives: 2,7\",\"id\":\"daa09c92-873b-4fcc-b01f-9c426d9123c9\"},{\"content\":\"\\\"New Editor,\\\" Triumph News Topics, <\/em>Vol 3. No. 2, (July 1944), Triumph Explosives: 2.\",\"id\":\"a4750158-b80e-41b9-aaba-215fe6a5aa70\"},{\"content\":\"Triumph News Topics<\/em>, vol. 4, no. 2 (July 1945), Triumph Explosives, Elkton, MD. Note: This was the final issue of the magazine. In 1945, the company changed its name to Triumph Industries.\",\"id\":\"600a919e-eee6-4c98-8a04-0a9e148dbee3\"}]"},"categories":[18,215],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research-resources","category-womens-studies"],"yoast_head":"\n