I have a wrench or two still around from those days somewhere. I'm pretty sure they have "BS" stamped on them. But I think I have heard of Whitworth before also. I seem to remember that the Brits measured a nut across the corners and we measured it across the flats or something like that. Or they actually measured the bolt across the threads. Whatever they did we did the opposite. They always have seemed to be obtuse when naming things or using items already perfected in other countries.
One of the best stories I ever heard was the development of the Rolls Royce MERLIN engine used almost exclusively in Allied aircraft during WWII. The engine was only good for about 20 hours before it needed a major overhaul. But Packard Motors of Detroit was asked to build the engine on this side of the pond for use in North American designed aircraft. So off they went to England to look at the engine and it's testing. R/R engineers were doing their normal touchy feely thing with the engine and not looking to really TEST it as the Americans would. (Little did they know.) So the Packard engineers put the throttle wide open and asked where the nearest watering hole was. The R/R engineers nearly fainted. "It will blow up if you leave it like that!" "Yes" said the Packard guys," and then we'll find out why it broke and put in a better part for that one and start again until we can't break the damn thing." So that was how a good British motor became an unbreakable Packard motor and was used in the U.S. built Mustang,Canadian built Lancaster and Canadian built Mosquito and by the end of the war it was reffered to as the "Packard Merlin". If left on their own the R/R engineers would never have "got it". And then of course there's Lucas electrics. But don't get me started on that!
One of the best stories I ever heard was the development of the Rolls Royce MERLIN engine used almost exclusively in Allied aircraft during WWII. The engine was only good for about 20 hours before it needed a major overhaul. But Packard Motors of Detroit was asked to build the engine on this side of the pond for use in North American designed aircraft. So off they went to England to look at the engine and it's testing. R/R engineers were doing their normal touchy feely thing with the engine and not looking to really TEST it as the Americans would. (Little did they know.) So the Packard engineers put the throttle wide open and asked where the nearest watering hole was. The R/R engineers nearly fainted. "It will blow up if you leave it like that!" "Yes" said the Packard guys," and then we'll find out why it broke and put in a better part for that one and start again until we can't break the damn thing." So that was how a good British motor became an unbreakable Packard motor and was used in the U.S. built Mustang,Canadian built Lancaster and Canadian built Mosquito and by the end of the war it was reffered to as the "Packard Merlin". If left on their own the R/R engineers would never have "got it". And then of course there's Lucas electrics. But don't get me started on that!