Pyrotechnic History - Pains Wessex1850 The James Pain business was founded in the 1850’s and bought by the manufacturer Bryant and May in 1960, by which time Bryant and May was part of the British Match Corporation. 1933......Pyrotechnic History - Pains Wessex1850 The James Pain business was founded in the 1850’s and bought by the manufacturer Bryant and May in 1960, by which time Bryant and May was part of the British Match Corporation. 1933 Wessex Aircraft Engineering Company (WAECO) is founded in Salisbury to produce wind direction smoke generators 1960 Bryant and May acquire James Pain & Sons Ltd 1962 Bryant and May acquires WAECO 1965 WAECO and James Pain & Sons Ltd merge and the company is re-named Pains Wessex Ltd 1973 The Schermuly business (manufacturers of marine pyrotechnics and the first line throwing rocket ) is acquired by Bryant and May 1981 The Schermuly factory in Dorking is closed and production transferred to Salisbury. The domestic firework business is sold off to a former director and established as Pains Wessex Fireworks Ltd 1986 Pains Wessex Ltd is acquired by Chemring Group PLC 1994 Sales and Marketing for the marine pyrotechnic business of Pains Wessex is taken over by McMurdo Ltd of Portsmouth 2005 Chemring Group PLC acquires Comet Gmbh, manufacturers of a range of SOLAS Marine Distress Signals 2005 Chemring Group PLC announces decision to sell the McMurdo Electronics businesses, EPIRBs and Liferaft Lights, and to retain the Marine Distress Signals brands Pains Wessex and Comet within the newly formed Energetics Division 2007 Chemring Marine Ltd is formed to handle the Marine Distress Signal businesses of Pains Wessex and Comet. Chemring Marine Ltd re-locates to Whiteley in Fareham