World War II Forum: Britain's biggest bang.

Posted by: No.9 () on 31 Aug 2003 at 10:20:19 PM
In-Reply-To: Marchington Camp, UK posted by Nick on 7:51:29 AM 31 Aug 2003

Originally mine works. By 1937 the pillar and stall workings had exhausted the shallower mineral, the few small mines were consolidated into one with a plaster factory at the entrance and the Air Ministry took over part of the excavation to store munitions. By wartime up to 40,000 tons (not tonnes in those days) were in store consisting mainly of 250- to 4000-pound bombs.

What initiated the happening at 11.11 am on 27th November, 1944 is not certain but the likely cause is that in part of the mine which lay 35 m. underground, a Stilson wrench, unsuitable for this particular purpose, was applied to a sensitive part of a 1000-pound bomb that had been returned, damaged. As they say, donšt try this at home. The explosion detonated over 3,500 tons of munitions which removed the roof of of the mine for a diameter of 250 m and killed 80 people above and below ground. A farmstead and plaster works disappeared and a reservoir of six million gallons failed. Some rock travelled ten kilometres and a wide area was covered in ten centimetres of dust. The noise was heard in London and Weston Super Mare (190 Km.) and seismographs trembled as far away as Casablanca. Only three larger explosions occurred during World War 2 , all nuclear.

Not all of the mine was destroyed and some underground personnel survived. A year of careful work followed to extricate many thousands of tons of remaining munitions and to secure the working sections of the mine. Even so, an estimated 3000 tonnes of unexploded bombs, many weighing 4000 lb, still remain and no public access is allowed to the crater. At present mining continues to the southwest where the evaporites, containing a higher proportion of anhydrite, lie at greater depth.

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Current replies to this message:

• thanks - Nick 4:20:29 AM 1 Sep 2003 (2)
  • Welcome - No.9 3:59:14 PM 1 Sep 2003 (1)
    • True - Nick 2:09:20 PM 2 Sep 2003 (0)

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