World War II: RAF Fauld explosion: An explosion at a Royal Air Force ammunition dump in Staffordshire kills seventy people.
The RAF Fauld explosion was a military accident which occurred at 11:11 am on Monday, 27 November 1944 at the RAF Fauld underground munitions storage depot in Staffordshire, England. It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history and the largest on UK soil.
Between 3,500 and 4,000 tonnes (3,900 and 4,400 tons) of ordnance exploded, mostly high explosives. The explosion crater with a depth of 100 feet (30 m) and 250 yards (230 m) across is still visible just south of Fauld, to the east of Hanbury, Staffordshire. It is now known as the Hanbury Crater.A nearby reservoir containing 450,000 cubic metres (16,000,000 cu ft) of water was obliterated in the incident, along with several buildings including a complete farm. Flooding caused by the destruction of the reservoir added to the damage directly caused by the explosion.The exact death toll is uncertain; it is believed that about 70 people died in the explosion and the resulting flood.