The RAF Fauld explosion
was a military accident which occurred at 11:11am on Monday, 27 November 1944
at the RAF Fauld underground munitions storage depot. The RAF Fauld explosion was one of the largest
non-nuclear explosions in history and the largest to occur on UK
Between 3,500 and 4,000 tonnes of ordnance exploded—mostly comprising high explosive (HE)-filled bombs, but including a variety of other types of weapons and including 500 million rounds of rifle ammunition. The explosion crater with a depth of 100 feet (30 m) and 250 yards (230 m) across is still clearly visible just south of the village of Fauld, to the east of Hanbury in Staffordshire, England. It is now known as the Hanbury Crater. A nearby reservoir containing 450,000 cubic metres of water was obliterated in the incident, along with a number of buildings including a complete farm. Flooding caused by destruction of the reservoir added to the damage directly caused by the explosion.
RAF Fauld bombs stacked underground
The exact death toll is uncertain; it is believed that about 70 people died in the explosion.
Two huge explosions were witnessed at No. 21 Maintenance Unit RAF Bomb Storage dump on 27 November 1944 at 11:15 hours. Eyewitnesses reported seeing two distinct columns of black smoke in the form of a mushroom cloud ascending several thousand feet, and saw a blaze at the foot of the column. According to the Commanding Officer of M.U. 21 (Group Captain Storrar) an open dump of incendiary bombs caught fire and it was allowed to burn itself out without damage or casualties. Property was damaged within a radius of ¾ mile of the crater.
Debris and damage occurred to all property within a circle extending for 1,420 yards (1,300 m).Upper Castle Burton
upon Trent .
While much of the storage facility was annihilated by the explosion, the site itself continued to be used by the RAF for munitions storage until 1966, when No. 21 Maintenance Unit (21 MU) was disbanded. FollowingFrance 's
withdrawal from NATO's integrated military structure in 1966, the site was used
by the US Army, between 1967 and 1973, to store US
ammunition previously stored in France
Burton-on-Trent
By 1979 the site was fenced off and since then nature has taken over, with the area covered with over 150 species of trees and wildlife. The area is restricted as a significant amount of explosives are still buried deep in the site; theUK
No. 21 MU was the subject of a number of paintings under the collective title "the bomb store" by artist David Bomberg. He was briefly employed as a war artist by the War Ministry in 1943.
Between 3,500 and 4,000 tonnes of ordnance exploded—mostly comprising high explosive (HE)-filled bombs, but including a variety of other types of weapons and including 500 million rounds of rifle ammunition. The explosion crater with a depth of 100 feet (30 m) and 250 yards (230 m) across is still clearly visible just south of the village of Fauld, to the east of Hanbury in Staffordshire, England. It is now known as the Hanbury Crater. A nearby reservoir containing 450,000 cubic metres of water was obliterated in the incident, along with a number of buildings including a complete farm. Flooding caused by destruction of the reservoir added to the damage directly caused by the explosion.
The exact death toll is uncertain; it is believed that about 70 people died in the explosion.
Cause
The cause of the
disaster was not made clear at the time. However, there had been staff
shortages, a management position that had remained empty for a year, and 189
inexperienced Italian POWs were working in the mines at the time of the
accident. In 1974, it was announced that the cause of the explosion was probably a site worker
removing a detonator from a live bomb using a brass chisel rather than a wooden
batten. An eyewitness testified that he had seen a worker using
brass chisels in defiance of the strict regulations in force.
Effects
Two huge explosions were witnessed at No. 21 Maintenance Unit RAF Bomb Storage dump on 27 November 1944 at 11:15 hours. Eyewitnesses reported seeing two distinct columns of black smoke in the form of a mushroom cloud ascending several thousand feet, and saw a blaze at the foot of the column. According to the Commanding Officer of M.U. 21 (Group Captain Storrar) an open dump of incendiary bombs caught fire and it was allowed to burn itself out without damage or casualties. Property was damaged within a radius of ¾ mile of the crater.
Debris and damage occurred to all property within a circle extending for 1,420 yards (1,300 m).
Aftermath
While much of the storage facility was annihilated by the explosion, the site itself continued to be used by the RAF for munitions storage until 1966, when No. 21 Maintenance Unit (21 MU) was disbanded. Following
By 1979 the site was fenced off and since then nature has taken over, with the area covered with over 150 species of trees and wildlife. The area is restricted as a significant amount of explosives are still buried deep in the site; the
No. 21 MU was the subject of a number of paintings under the collective title "the bomb store" by artist David Bomberg. He was briefly employed as a war artist by the War Ministry in 1943.
No comments:
Post a Comment