Earlier today a century old bomb was found on Royal Air Force College Cranwell’s Airfield. The device, believed to date from around 1916, was uncovered by contractors during routine works at the historic Station. The Royal Air Force Bomb Disposal Team, 5131 (Bomb Disposal) Squadron based at RAF Wittering, were called to the scene immediately.
Image by: WO Phil Hunt
Deputy Commandant of RAF College Cranwell, Group Captain Gordon Bettington said: “On discovery of the WW1 ordnance by contractors working on our airfield this morning, we activated our contingency plans to deal with the incident.” Group Captain Bettington concluded: “I am immensely proud of the response from all our personnel and 5131 (BD) Squadron, which enabled things to swiftly return to normal after the ordnance was made safe. We are now fascinated to learn more about the munition itself and the history of operations from the airfield.”
As a precaution, personnel working in the vicinity were evacuated and a safety cordon put in place. Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technicians from 5131 (BD) Squadron identified the device as a WWI 16lb high explosive bomb, and carried out a controlled demolition.
Warrant Officer Phil Hunt the Senior EOD Officer at 5131 (BD) Squadron said: “This was a WWI bomb and it took a few minutes to identify as it was a most unusual find. Nonetheless, it was a pleasure to be called to the spiritual home of the Royal Air Force in its 100th year and to restore the Station to normal as quickly as we could.”
