Inside raf fauld the forbidden remains of britains. This crater was once raf fauld, an old mining operation converted to an underground bomb storage depot for the royal air force. With the war intensifying, the uk and the united states scrambled to create more and larger facilities to house the munitions needed to fight a global conflict. The military accident that created the hanbury crater on november 27, 1944 was, at the time, the largest nonnuclear explosion ever to have occurred in the world. Commander captain in return invited me to a conducted tour by him of the storage caves and tunnels. Illustrated history of the development, construction and often the subsequent destruction of the rafs five huge. The fauld explosion stands even today as the largest explosion to occur on british soil. Storemen stack 250lb medium capacity bombs in one of the tunnels at raf fauld. The raf fauld explosion was one of the largest nonnuclear explosions in history and the largest to occur on uk soil. Feb 07, 2012 the fauld explosion stands even today as the largest explosion to occur on british soil. Eyewitness valerie hardy has now revealed her account of events in a new book voices from the explosion. Raf fauld underground munition tunnels, staffordshire, 20. Lords bridge air ammunition park subterranea britannica.
Inside raf fauld the forbidden remains of britains biggest. The rhydymwyn valley history society is an organisation which researches and promotes the operation of the former ministry of supplys valley works in the alyn valley at rhydymwyn in northeast wales. Storemen stack 250lb mc bombs in one of the tunnels at no. Bombs being stacked in one of the tunnels at raf fauld. This place is situated in staffordshire county, west midlands, england, united kingdom, its geographical coordinates are 52 51 0 north, 1 42 0 west and its original name with diacritics is fauld.
Of course, the crater still exists to this day, although it is now less raw having become overgrown with flora. Raf fauld explosion tunnel entrance through the crater. In his book, for a shilling a day, the stars peter rhodes recalls a. It is a tremendous personal account of one of the fiercest and most idealised air conflicts the battle of britain seen through the eyes of a pilot of the famous 609 squadron, which shot down over 100 planes in that epic contest. The raf fauld explosion was a military accident which occurred at 11.
See all 4 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Fauld crater hanbury 2020 all you need to know before you. This is a list of road, railway, waterway, and other tunnels in the united kingdom a tunnel is an underground passageway with no defined minimum length, though it may be considered to be at least twice as long as wide. The incident saw a mixture of high explosive bombs and other types of weapons including 500 million rounds of rifle ammunition go up in smoke. The accident, britains biggest ever explosion, claimed the lives of at least 70 people and tore down homes in the nearby village of hanbury. Many years ago 1970s maybe i had a paperback book about underground london. The local area has lots thats slowly being bulldozed and hidden. Bombs being stacked in one of the tunnels at raf fauld the cause of the disaster was not made clear at the time. The ammunitions were stored underground in disused gypsum mines, and contained, at the time of the explosion, nearly 4,000 tons of ordnance and 500 million rounds of rifle ammunition, and a variety of other weapons. Underground storage tunnels such as the one at raf fauld were constructed across the country. Raf fauld, high explosives tunnels, staffordshire may 20 raf fauld was a royal air force underground munitions storage depot located 2. Raf fauld, the worlds largest accidental blast, 1944 paperback october 20, 2015. How bombs meant for nazi germany ended up devastating a. The raf venture into underground storage was one of disaster and tragedy.
Raf fauld, high explosives tunnels, staffordshire may. Derek holloway whose father corporal william holloway was part of the raf at fauld visits the memorial site. The crater was caused by an underground explosion in the old raf bomb store killing 70 people, demolishing two farms and the. Aug 29, 2008 the fauld explosion created the hanbury crater, a huge hole in the staffordshire landscape. There had been some smallscale use of underground munitions stores in britain during the first world war, although these were more general purpose than specifically for the raf. Mar 16, 2014 on november 27th 1944, one of the largest nonnuclear explosions in history happened at the munitions storage depot raf fauld. The explosion was to this day, the worlds biggest nonnuclear explosion 1 update. I originally heard about the fauld explosion and the hanbury crater on a sunday morning in 2008, i think, when listening to radio 4. During wwii, the raf used the old plaster mine at fauld, england, as storage for up to 20,000 tons of ammunition. The site of one of the largest nonnuclear explosions in history, created when a massive bomb dump accidentally exploded. A detailed overview of raf ammunition storage policy through the interwar years. Tales of the raf book 1 on your kindle in under a minute. Sep 19, 2009 mark rowe reports on a couple of new angles about fauld. Royal air force fauld is a former royal air force underground munitions storage depot located.
Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Other former servicemen who worked at fauld confirm that they were not allowed to speak after duty about their work, even to family. Mar 04, 2016 today im at raf hawkinge and exploring the forgotten underground battle headquarters. On november 27th 1944 an explosion in an underground bomb store in the village of fauld, staffordshire, the likes of which the uk had ever known, killed 70 people and left a crater in the earth 400ft deep and threequarters of a mile long. Have wanted to visit this place for a long time and it didnt disappoint. In 1937, 450,000 square feet of disused gypsum workings next to peter fords plaster works were purchased by the air ministry for weapons storage during the second world war. Royal air force fauld is a former royal air force underground munitions storage depot located 2. Underground tunnels at raf welford showing 8 of 38 messages. The raf fauld log book stored at the national archives at kew confirms that the bomb dump was in 1940 and 1941 dealing with only a fraction of the bomb tonnage it shifted towards the climax of the war, in 1944. Voices from the explosion raf fauld explosion book. Oct 01, 2015 derek holloway whose father corporal william holloway was part of the raf at fauld visits the memorial site. Inside the two miles of tunnels, thousands of 6in howitzer shells were piled 20 deep. We currently have 149 books in this category in stock. The vast subterranean network of tunnels was packed to the roof with.
The raf fauld explosion was caused by the accidental detonation of 4,000 tonnes of ordinance to the east of hanbury. Be prepared for a short muddy walk wellies required from the excellent cock inn. The fauld explosion barato canada goose invierno chaquetas. The raf venture into underground storage was one of. Nov 01, 2018 the raf fauld explosion was caused by the accidental detonation of 4,000 tonnes of ordinance to the east of hanbury. The fauld explosion created the hanbury crater, a huge hole in the staffordshire landscape. When i was instructing at fenton students mentioned exploring the tunnels which would take flyers across to the dispersed aircraft areas on the south side. Raf fauld was a royal air force underground munitions storage depot located 2.
Raf munitions storage during world war ii wikipedia. Discover the hanbury crater in staffordshire, england. Next monthly meeting cancelled the visitor centre, 17, nant alyn road, rhydymwyn, ch7 5hq. There had been staff shortages, a management position had remained empty for a year, and 189 inexperienced italian pows were working in the mines at the time of the accident. When 4,000 tonnes of high explosives detonated in the uks biggest ever nonnuclear blast jean fisher adopted the british wartime motto of keep calm and carry on by reaching for a cup of tea. Set in in world war ii with the main character, 12 year old harry winslow. Aug 08, 2019 eyewitness valerie hardy has now revealed her account of events in a new book voices from the explosion. The run down of the large reserve depots paralleled these developments. The underground munitions storage depot at raf fauld, near.
Ukurbex said i live quite close to fauld in staffordshire and a few months ago we managed to get into the remaining tunnels, there is still a vast underground network of tunnels down there, we even got behind a wall into the old section which has blast damage and roof falls. Popular raf books share book recommendations with your. Fauld crater hanbury 2020 all you need to know before you go. Accidental detonation of 4,000 tons of explosives in. The definitive history of 603 city of edinburgh squadron, rauxaf volume ii. An aerial video showing the fauld crater near tutbury, staffordshire. Something like a million tons of earth and rock were thrown into the air to rain down over a wide area as dark sludge. Jul 20, 2016 forbidden remains of britains biggest explosion. The book, kindle and ebook title that explores the worlds biggest accidental explosion, at raf fauld in 1944 from a firsthand perspective. Would anyone with actual knowledge of these tunnels ie where they start and end, please pm me. I live quite close to fauld in staffordshire and a few months ago we managed to get into the remaining tunnels, there is still a vast underground network of tunnels down there, we even got behind a wall into the old section which has blast damage and roof falls. How staffordshire was changed forever by the uks largest. Lords bridge held one weeks supply of ammunition and was itself supplied by the central ammunition depot at fauld in staffordshire which maintained supplies of 15 20,000 tons. Chislehurst caves, southeast of london, were bought in october 1914 and a small portion of the twenty miles 32 km of tunnels was prepared for storing up to 1,000 tons of explosives and raw.
Popular raf squadron books showing 2 of 33 the greatest squadron of them all. Sorry, there are no tours or activities available to book online for the dates you selected. Today im at raf hawkinge and exploring the forgotten underground battle headquarters. Raf fauld, the worlds largest accidental blast, 1944 by hardy, valerie isbn. Raf fauld, situated in a former gypsum mine, was the main repository of high explosive ordnance in the country. The late professor mick aston of time team fame was the narrator of the short documentary which gave a brief history of the event together with a description of the site as it was in 2008. Jean was an innocent 19yearold at the time and working in the office at raf fauld near hanbury, with the second world war still raging after more. More than 4,000 tonnes of bombs and ammunition kept in the underground storerooms of raf fauld detonated in a single, deadly moment. Harry, who has become friends with the fighter pilots at the near by raf base has great adventures while learning life lessons in respect, responsibility and freindship. If you are looking for a specific book which we do not have in stock, then please get in touch and well let you know just as soon as it comes in. Mark rowe reports on a couple of new angles about fauld. Rhydymwyn valley history society tunnel tours flintshire. The hanbury crater staffordshire, england atlas obscura.
Raf fauld the detonator stores, staffordshire on november 27th 1944 an explosion in an underground bomb store in the village of fauld, staffordshire, the likes of which the uk had ever known, killed 70 people and left a crater in the earth 400ft deep and threequarters of a mile long. Between 3,500 and 4,000 tonnes of ordnance exploded mostly comprising high explosive hefilled bombs, but including a variety of other types of weapons and including 500 million rounds of rifle ammunition. Jul 05, 2008 raf fauld explosion this site is by tutbury near burton and well worth a visit a good book to find on this explosion is the day the dump went up by mark roweno. It occurred when some 3,5004,000 tones of bombs, shells and rifle ammunition exploded at raf fauld, a bomb dump in a disused gypsum mine. The day an accidental 4,000ton blast laid waste to a. Somewhere between 35004000 tons of munitions exploded, mostly high explosive bombs but including up to 500 million rounds of. After a quick examination he announced that we had been dropped in the. This is an apolitical forum for discussions on the axis nations and related topics hosted by the axis history factbook in cooperation with christian ankerstjernes panzerworld and christoph awenders ww2 day by day. It is the definitive history of the rafs illfated excursion into underground storage during the second world war, culminating in the disaster at fauld. Over a hundred sites were considered and rejected for the raf s underground storage. Sep 27, 2017 when 4,000 tonnes of high explosives detonated in the uks biggest ever nonnuclear blast jean fisher adopted the british wartime motto of keep calm and carry on by reaching for a cup of tea. We all got out and waved our thanks and farewells to the crew and major jenner checked his map.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The day an accidental 4,000ton blast laid waste to a staffordshire. Raf fauld, high explosives tunnels, staffordshire may 20. Illustrated history of the development, construction and often the subsequent destruction of the raf s five huge. I have been looking into raf welford, berkshire, for some time and have come across articles stating that there are a series of underground tunnels. These eerie photographs show the scene of the biggest nonnuclear explosion in history killing at least 70 people and leaving dozens more seriously injured. Spitfire pilot was written in 1940 in the heat of battle when the raf stood alone against the might of hitlers third reich. After a quick examination he announced that we had been dropped in the wrong place. It is still the site of the worlds biggest nonnuclear explosion. Fauld crater hanbury 2020 all you need to know before. The day the dump went up the explosion at raf fauld in 1944 is what the former air force bomb store is most famous for, understandably. The depot was administered by 95 maintenance unit raf which came under the control of raf bassingbourn. The raf fauld log book stored at the national archives at kew confirms that the bomb dump was in 1940 and 1941 dealing with only a fraction. The fauld explosion crater at hanbury amusing planet.
Eerie photographs reveal inside raf fauld where 70 people died in 1944 and where a huge cache of unexploded bombs is still buried. In those day, the area was used by the royal air force as an ammunition dump called raf fauld. However seriously metal tracks and presumably metal wheels arent the best combination in an explosives store. Eerie photographs show inside the fauld raf base after.