Brave Men Indeed!
Bomb Disposal since 1945
(Please note that a Northern
Ireland & UK section will be added at a later date)
Palestine
In Palestine the RAOC Ammunition Examiners worked throughout 1945 to 1948 dealing with the terrorist activity as well as the aftermath of the King David Hotel bombing. Not all of the vehicles used to evacuate stores and ammunition in 1948 reached safety, some being blown up en route by terrorists.
Malaya 1945-48
The main ammunition depot at Kranji on Singapore Island was sued for the receipt, and disposal, of ammunition and explosives left behind by the Japanese in the British territories. A major cleanup was started in September 1945 and continued until December 1948 to make the Island safe for the inhabitants after the mess the Japanese forces had left behind. The RAF and RN both cleared their own areas, but the majority of the work was handled by the Army all over the island. Malaya 1948-60 Here, Ammunition technicians had to handle returned ammunition, faulty ammunition and climate-induced problems caused by the high humidity. Three members of the RAOC Ammunition Inspectorate were awarded George Medals in western Malaysia. Later in the conflict the CTs moved to more modern forms of terrorism, with home made explosive devices appearing for ammunition staff to dispose of.
Korea 1948-1953
The RAOC and other service bomb disposal experts continued service, this time in Korea, disposing of faulty, expired or out-of-date ammunition as well as unexploded bombs and shells.
Cyprus 1955-58
At the very early stages of the Cyprus campaign, Ammunition Examiners were allocated to the CID at the major police stations on the island. Here the AEs (Ammunition Examiners) were heavily involved in disarming and disposing of explosive devices throughout the four-year campaign. During this period 4,688 unexploded devices were dealt with, numerous arms recovered and over four thousands explosions investigated. During this campaign, four George Medals, an MBE and BEM were awarded to EOD RAOC personnel.
Borneo 1962-66
RAOC Ammunition Examiners were again on duty during this conflict, investigating, identifying and disposing of unexploded ammunition including aircraft bombs, many of which dated from the Second World War. Aden 1964 The Aden crisis saw an intense period of activity for Ammunition staff who were frequently under threat from terrorist attacks while working on planted bombs. At least two George Medals were awarded to Ammunition Examiners in this crisis.
Hong Kong 1967-68
The Hong Kong Riots of 1967-68 saw the local Ammunition staff unable to cope and reinforcements were called in. In a seven-month period some 9,000 incidents were answered. At least one AE was killed during this period and another seriously injured when run over by a Chinese motorist while kneeling to dismantle a device on a traffic island. The valuable experience in Hong Kong helped prepare the RAOC for the events in Northern Ireland, and to develop a great deal of the needed equipment.
In 1972, an SAS sergeant, along with men of the Royal Marine Special Boat Squadron, were parachuted into the Atlantic from an RAF Hercules in response to a bomb threat on the Queen Elizabeth 2, which was 1,000 miles from Britain. Click here to read the full story
Falklands
The
clear up after the Falklands war required a multi-service effort, under
a joint EOD centre, to make the islands safe. However, this soon proved
unable to handle the volume of material. More than 8 countries supplied
ammunition to the Argentines, and much of it was across the islands in
prepared ammunition pits ready for use, many of which had been destroyed
by British shelling during the war and scattered their contents across
the nearby ground. Composite Ammunition Company was formed in July 1982
of some 60 personnel from the RAOC and Royal Pioneer Corps commanded by
Major Peter Courtney-Green. As well as disposing of the ammunition, many
serviceable materials would be retained against any possible future attack
by Argentine forces, and surplus usable material shipped back to the UK.
After a six-month tour cleaning up the islands, the ATs returned to the
UK in January 1983.
Gulf War
In October 1990, Ammunition technicians from 421 Company together with 11 EOD battalion, RAOC members, arrived in the Gulf. The men were sufficient to form four separate teams, and included a specialist in chemical and biological ordnance. The main task at this point was the control of the British force's live firing ranges. When the conflict erupted the EOD teams were on standby for Scud hits and had to disarm at least one warhead. After the end of the conflict, the usual clear up took place, recovering ready-for-use ammunition and repacking and shipping it. During the Gulf War, RAF EOD staff was called upon to clear Iraqi and Coalition ordnance from the battlefield along with Army and Navy EOD teams. Even today, building sites and excavations continue to reveal leftover bombs and unexploded weapons from both world wars. The RAOC Ammunition technicians and their counterparts are still called upon all too frequently to do this most dangerous of jobs.
I was on Operation Pinseeker, May 1991 to October 1991 with 21 EOD Squadron Group Royal Engineers Part of 33 Engr Regt (EOD), in Kuwait city. 21 EOD Sqn Group had support elements from 22 EOD Support Squadron, RAMC, RCT, REME, R. Sigs and RAF EOD. We were working in support of Royal Ordnance who had been awarded a contract by the Kuwaiti Government to clear Kuwait of Unexploded Ordnance and mines. Royal Ordnance had several casualties, mainly from Anti-Personnel mines. 21 Sqn had one casualty which occurred during clearance of ordnance which was scattered during a fire at the US Army's Ammunition storage facility in Doha. The person concerned was casevaced and lost a toe, he continued to serve. For this tour we recieved the GSM with Kuwait clasp. Best regards Al Ginnelly Ex 22 EOD Sp Sqn, attached 21 EOD Sqn Group, May - Oct 1991.
As well as the RAOC, the RAF, Royal Engineers and Royal Navy as well as civil police bomb disposal units were all active. As well as the areas where the British forces were on active service, the RAOC are also called in to dispose of munitions left over from the Second World War all over the world, including Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands.
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