Photograph of part of the site of 21 MU Fauld, near Hanbury, following the explosion of the ammunition store on 27 November 1944.

LRO BD 75
©Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service

The Fauld explosion was a major disaster which occurred in Staffordshire. On November 27th, 1944, 3,500 tons of explosives stored by the RAF in an underground ammunition store at 21 MU Fauld, near the village of Hanbury, blew up. 70 people died in the explosion. Upper Castle Hays Farm nearby was completely obliterated and buildings as far away as Burton upon Trent sustained damage as a result. A crater 100 feet deep and 250 yards wide was created and remains today.

An RAF inquiry judged that the explosion had been caused by an airman, using a brass chisel to remove an exploder pocket from a bomb. The chisel caused a spark which caused an initial explosion, so setting off others.