RAF Fauld Explosion

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.

Between 3,450 and 3,930 tons (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 resulting crater was 120 metres (400 ft) deep and 1,200 metres (0.75 miles) across and is still clearly visible just south of the village of Fauld, to the west of Hanbury Hill in Staffordshire, England. 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.Reed, John, (1977). "Largest Wartime Explosions: 21 Maintenance Unit, RAF Fauld, Staff. November 27, 1944", "After The Battle", 18, Pp 35 - 40. ISSN 0306-154X.]

Largest non-nuclear explosion on UK soil

The RAF Fauld explosion was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history and the largest to occur on UK soil.

Extracts from the Ministry of Home Security report File RE. 5/5i region IX. contained the following facts;

Two huge explosions were witnessed at RAF No21 M.U. Bomb storage dump on 27th November 1944 at 11.15 hours.Eye witnesses 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 Storer) 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 3/4 miles of the crater.

Debris and damage occurred to all property within a circle extending for convert|1420|yd. Upper Castle Hayes farm completely disappeared and Messrs. Peter Fordes Lime and Gypsum works to the north of the village and Purse cottages were completely demolished. The lime works was destroyed by the destruction of reservoir dam and release of water into the works. Hanbury Fields farm, Hare Holes farm and also Croft farm with adjacent cottages were all extensively damaged. Debris also damaged Hanbury village. The crater was some 900 by convert|700|ft|m in length and convert|380|ft|m deep covering 12 acres. Approximately one third of the RAF dump exploded, an area of 65000sq. yds but barriers of rock pillars between no 3 and 4 sections held and prevented the other munition storage areas from exploding in a chain reaction. Damage from earth shock extended as far as Burton-upon-Trent. Also 200 cattle were killed by the explosion, many having been blown to pieces. A number of live cattle were removed from the vicinity but were dead the following morning.

Official casualties listed were as follows;90 persons killed missing or injured.26 killed or missing at the RAF dump, 5 of whom were gassed, also 10 severely injured.42 killed or missing at Messrs Fordes works and surrounding countryside, also 12 injured.

No21 MU was the location of a number of paintings under the collective title "the bomb store" by one of the most important UK 20th century artists, David Bomberg. He was briefly employed as a war artist by the War Ministry in 1943, and this is fully documented by Richard Cork in his biography of Bomberg.

Burton on Trent library has a complete documented file on the explosion.

Whilst much of the storage facility was annihilated by the explosion, the site itself continued to be used by the RAF for munition storage until 1966, when No. 21 Maintenance Unit (21 MU) was disbanded. After France pulled out of NATO the site was used by the US Army, between 1967 to 1973, to store US ammunition previously stored in France. There is still a considerable amount of unexploded munitions deeply buried beneath the crater site - it was decided that it would be uneconomical to attempt its removal.

Casualties

At the time, there was no careful tally of the number of workers at the facility. So whilst the exact death toll is uncertain, it appears that about 75 people died in the explosion. The official report file no RE5/5 region IX listed the following casualties:

* 26 workers at the site - divided between RAF personnel and some Italian prisoners of war who were working there and 10 severely injured.
* 42 people from a nearby plaster mill, Messrs Forde and sons.
* perhaps a dozen farm workers who had been working nearby.

Cause

The cause of the disaster was not made clear at the time. There had been staff shortages, a management position had remained empty for a year and 194 inexperienced Italian POWs had been drafted in to help in the mines. In 1974, it was officially 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. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/98/a6370698.shtml An eye witness] testified that he had seen a worker using brass chisels in defiance of the strict regulations in force.

ee also

*List of United Kingdom disasters by death toll
*RAF munitions storage during WWII

References

Further reading

* "Britain's big bang" by Peter Grego, "Astronomy Now", November 2004. ISSN 0951-9726.
* McCamley, N.J. (1998). "Secret Underground Cities". Barnsley: Leo Cooper. ISBN 0-85052-585-3.
* McCamley, N.J. (2004). "Disasters Underground". Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 1-84415-022-4.
* Grid Reference: SK182277

External links

* [http://www.carolyn.topmum.net/tutbury/fauld/fauldcrater.htm The Fauld Explosion]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/features/history/2004/fauld.shtml The World's Largest Ever Explosion (Almost)]
* [http://fauldraf-hanburydump.com/ RAF FAULD 4 Kilotonne EXPLOSION. November 27 1944]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Hanbury+Hill,+Hanbury,+Burton-on-trent,+Staffordshire+DE13,+United+Kingdom&sll=52.852716,-1.732535&sspn=0.004691,0.013561&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=16&ll=52.852573,-1.733415&spn=0.009381,0.027122&t=k Satellite Image at Google Maps, showing Gypsum works]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Hanbury+Hill,+Hanbury,+Burton-on-trent,+Staffordshire+DE13,+United+Kingdom&sll=52.852716,-1.732535&sspn=0.004691,0.013561&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=16&ll=52.847364,-1.733415&spn=0.005806,0.021629&t=k Satellite Image at Google Maps, showing blast crater]