Gillow's had established a reputation for the outfitting of luxury yachts and liners, including the royal yacht "Victoria and Albert", liners "Lusitania", "Heliopolis" and "Cairo", "Queen Mary" (1936) and "Queen Elizabeth" (1940) for Cunard. During the First World War the Lancaster factory was turned over to war production, making ammunition chests for the Navy and propellers for De Havilland DH9 aircraft. They also established a large tent-manufacturing facility of 8,000 workers on the now closed former exhibition site at White City (the former Machinery Hall), London.