The guest speaker at the February meeting was Brian Maxwell, who had spent a 40 year career in the Armed Services working on bomb disposal. Brian explained that there was no single unit responsible in the UK for bomb disposal. The groups involved were the Fleet Clearance Divers, the Royal Engineers, the Royal Logistics Corps and the Royal Armament Engineers. The Metropolitan Police also has a bomb squad. In the speaker’s view one organisation would be a better arrangement.
Four factors are needed to make a bomb. These are external energy, detonators, a booster and high explosives. Therefore when dealing with a bomb it is necessary to work out where these four components are in any device. By the use of simple “party poppers” Brian explained that a controlled explosion was one which was known to be going to happen.
The speaker then outlined the progress over the last 40+ years in the equipment used in bomb disposal. In the early 70’s the equipment consisted of a Stanley knife, wire cutters, a bag of fish hooks, 100 yards of cord and a BT tool wallet. Speeded by deaths caused by bombs in Northern Ireland within 3 years equipment had become more sophisticated with remote handling devices, all parts readily available from the same supplier (e.g. Halfords) and special equipment locally for each situation. There were by the mid 70’s now more remote, radio controlled systems.
The most notable development was of a carriage to take a weapon to a bomb and the development of a powerful water pistol to detonate it in a controlled explosion.
Brian concluded his talk with description of bomb disposal clothing and transport. He showed the plaque to commemorate those in the bomb disposal service who had died in Northern Ireland.
Thanks were expressed to the speaker by Ken Tunstall in appreciation of an interesting talk.
Before introducing the speaker the chairman, Dave Vernon welcomed a good attendance of members to an excellent Expanse lunch and updated members with club news.
Further information about the club’s activities can be found on probusbridlington.weebly.net
Four factors are needed to make a bomb. These are external energy, detonators, a booster and high explosives. Therefore when dealing with a bomb it is necessary to work out where these four components are in any device. By the use of simple “party poppers” Brian explained that a controlled explosion was one which was known to be going to happen.
The speaker then outlined the progress over the last 40+ years in the equipment used in bomb disposal. In the early 70’s the equipment consisted of a Stanley knife, wire cutters, a bag of fish hooks, 100 yards of cord and a BT tool wallet. Speeded by deaths caused by bombs in Northern Ireland within 3 years equipment had become more sophisticated with remote handling devices, all parts readily available from the same supplier (e.g. Halfords) and special equipment locally for each situation. There were by the mid 70’s now more remote, radio controlled systems.
The most notable development was of a carriage to take a weapon to a bomb and the development of a powerful water pistol to detonate it in a controlled explosion.
Brian concluded his talk with description of bomb disposal clothing and transport. He showed the plaque to commemorate those in the bomb disposal service who had died in Northern Ireland.
Thanks were expressed to the speaker by Ken Tunstall in appreciation of an interesting talk.
Before introducing the speaker the chairman, Dave Vernon welcomed a good attendance of members to an excellent Expanse lunch and updated members with club news.
Further information about the club’s activities can be found on probusbridlington.weebly.net