The Silvertown explosion occurred in

Silvertown Silvertown is a district of West Ham in the London Borough of Newham, in east London, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, Thames and was historically part of the parishes of West Ham and East Ham, Becontree Hundred, hund ...

West Ham West Ham is a district in East London, England and is in the London Borough of Newham. It is an inner-city suburb located east of Charing Cross. The area was originally an ancient parish formed to serve parts of the older Manor of Ham, a ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

(now part of the

London Borough of Newham The London Borough of Newham () is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by ...

) on Friday 19 January 1917 at 6:52 p.m. The blast occurred at a

munitions Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of ...

factory that was manufacturing

explosive An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An ex ...

s for

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First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

military effort. Approximately 50

tonnes The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...

trinitrotoluene Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and help ...

exploded, killing 73 people and injuring 400 more, as well as causing substantial damage in the local area. This was not the first, last, largest, or the most deadly explosion at a munitions facility in Britain during the war; an explosion at Faversham involving of TNT killed 105 in 1916, and the National Shell Filling Factory, Chilwell, exploded in 1918, killing 137.

Operations

The factory was built in 1893 on the south side (

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

side) of North Woolwich Road, nearly opposite Mill Road) by Brunner Mond, a forerunner of

Imperial Chemical Industries Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British Chemical industry, chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain. Its headquarters were at Millbank in London. ICI was listed on the London Stock Exchange ...

, to produce soda crystals and caustic soda. Production of caustic soda ceased in 1912, which left part of the factory idle. Two years into the war, the Army was facing a crippling shell shortage. The

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

decided to use the factory's surplus capacity to purify TNT, a process more dangerous than manufacture itself, although the factory was in a highly populated area. Despite opposition from Brunner Mond, production of TNT began in September 1915. The method used was invented by Brunner Mond's chief scientist F. A. Freeth, who believed the process to be "manifestly very dangerous". The plant continued to purify TNT at a rate of approximately per day until it was destroyed by the explosion. Another plant, at Gadbrook, was built in 1916 and was producing TNT at a higher rate than the Silvertown factory, away from populated areas, with more stringent safety standards. Both factories were in full production.

Explosion

On 19 January, a fire broke out in the melt-pot room, and efforts to put it out were under way when approximately of

(TNT) ignited at 6:52 p.m. The TNT plant was destroyed instantly, as were many nearby buildings, including Silvertown Fire Station. Much of the TNT was in railway

goods wagon Goods wagons or freight wagons (North America: freight cars), also known as goods carriages, goods trucks, freight carriages or freight trucks, are unpowered railway vehicles that are used for the transportation of cargo. A variety of wagon types ...

s awaiting transport. Debris was strewn for miles around, with red-hot chunks of rubble causing fires. A gas holder was damaged on

Greenwich Peninsula The Greenwich Peninsula is an area of Greenwich in South London, South East London, England. It is bounded on three sides by a loop of the River Thames, Thames, between the Isle of Dogs to the west and Silvertown to the east. To the south is the ...

, creating a fireball from of gas; the holder was later repaired and remained until 1986. Several thousand pounds' worth of goods were also destroyed in nearby warehouses, estimated by the

Port of London Authority The Port of London Authority (PLA) is a self-funding public trust established on 31 March 1909 in accordance with the Port of London Act 1908 to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and its ...

to cover . The chancel and church hall of the local church, St Barnabas', were destroyed, being replaced only in 1926. Seventy-three people were killed (69 immediately, and four later from their injuries), and more than 400 injured. Up to 70,000 properties were damaged, 900 nearby ones destroyed or unsalvageably damaged; the cost was put at either £250,000 or £2.5 million. The comparatively low death toll for such a large blast was due to the time of day. The factories were largely empty of workers (there were fewer than forty in the TNT factory itself), but it was too early for the upper floors of houses (which sustained the worst of the flying debris damage) to be heavily populated. Also, it occurred on a Friday, when fewer people were around the factory. However, several professional firemen and volunteers fighting the earlier fire were killed or seriously injured in the explosion. For comparison, of TNT exploded at the National Shell Filling Factory, and killed 137 people; an explosion at Split Rock, New York, in 1918 killed 50 to 52 people with of TNT. Reportedly, the explosion also blew the glass out of windows in the Savoy Hotel and almost overturned a taxi in

Pall Mall, London Pall Mall is a street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster, Central London. It connects St James's Street to Trafalgar Square and is a section of the regional A4 road (England), A4 road. The street's name is derived f ...

, the fires could be seen in

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

and

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...

, and the blast was heard up to away, including at Sandringham in Norfolk and along the Sussex coast. Although the blast was heard at a great distance, it was not heard uniformly across the whole intermediate distance, owing to atmospheric effects caused by refraction of the sound waves.

Response

The emergency services immediately became involved in putting out the fires caused by the explosion, treating the wounded, and beginning to repair the damage caused. First-aid stations were set up in the streets to treat minor injuries. A

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

rescue team was sent into the area under Catherine Bramwell-Booth, and the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

also rendered aid, including food and hot drinks. Thousands were left homeless, requiring temporary accommodation in schools, churches, and other similar places. One thousand seven hundred men were employed in the reconstruction task by February. Three million pounds in aid was paid to those affected by the blast, equivalent to approximately £40m in 2007, of which £1m was paid to local businesses and factories, including £185,000 to Brunner-Mond. The clear-up was under the direction of Sir Frank Baines, and a report in the ''

Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' of 12 February 1917 stated 750 to 1,000 men were on site. Six hundred houses had been demolished by the explosion and 400 new ones were being built. Three hundred others had been repaired and many more re-slated. Henry Cavendish-Bentinck and Alfred Mond, son of the eponymous Ludwig Mond of Brunner-Mond, debated in Parliament the living conditions of residents during the reconstruction; conditions were said to be "gravely prejudicial to the public health" and "not fit for human habitation". It was mooted that the residents should be relocated to a newly built garden city, rather than spending £1.3m rebuilding the present, dilapidated area. John Joseph Jones, MP for

, also maintained an interest in the disaster. Edward George Brown Greenoff

The

Ministry of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis o ...

announced the explosion in the following day's newspaper, and ordered an investigation led by Sir Ernley Blackwell, published on 24 February 1917. A definite single cause of the explosion was not determined, invalidating early theories such as German

sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, government, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, demoralization (warfare), demoralization, destabilization, divide and rule, division, social disruption, disrupti ...

or an air raid, but it was found that the factory's site was inappropriate for the manufacture of TNT. Management and safety practices at the plant were also criticised: TNT was stored in unsafe containers, close to the plant and the risky production process. The report was not disclosed to the public until the 1950s. Other newspapers, including ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', also reported the explosion. On 20 June 1917, Andrea Angel, the plant's chief chemist, who was attending to the initial fire, was posthumously awarded the Edward Medal (First Class) as was George Wenbourne.

Police constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an police officer, officer within a police ser ...

Edward George Brown Greenoff was posthumously awarded the King's Police Medal, and is commemorated with a plaque on the Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice in Postman's Park, in central London. The Silvertown explosion was not the final British munitions plant disaster of the First World War. The National Shell Filling Factory, Chilwell, in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

, exploded on 1 July 1918, killing 137 and injuring 250. SilvertownExplosionMemorialInItsNewLocation

The former TNT factory's grounds are, , empty, not having been built upon since the explosion. The other part of the factory remained open after being repaired, until finally closing in 1961. This is also idle, . A

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

was commissioned by Brunner Mond in the 1920s inside the entrance to the factory location; it also serves as a memorial for the First World War and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. For a time, the memorial was covered up due to the development of Royal Wharf in Silvertown, but by September 2016 it had been moved to a new location in the Royal Wharf development, closer to the site of the explosion.

Popular culture

The Silvertown Explosion is dramatised in the LWT TV series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (series 4, episode 9, "Another Year"). Scullery maid Ruby Finch had left her employer, the Bellamy family at 165 Eaton Place, to work in a munitions factory for the war effort. The explosion is not only heard at the home of her former employer in

Belgravia Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a dangerous pla ...

, but it literally rocks the house. The residents can see a great fire in the distance, "down the river somewhere". Ruby makes her way back to the house and relates her account of being in the factory when the explosion occurred. She is in deep shock and her face is covered in a

sulphur Sulfur (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical ...

ous yellow residue. In

Pat Mills Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfath ...

's comic-strip, '' Charley's War'', the hero, Charley Bourne, is wounded on the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France * Somme, Queensland, Australia * Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), ...

and returns home to Silvertown to be confronted by the aftermath of the explosion. Several subsequent strips depict a

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155� ...

raid on the munitions factories in the area and deal with the residents' fears of a repeat of the disaster. In the Charlie Higson Young Bond novel '' Double or Die'', Brunner Mond is one of the cryptic clues and reference is made to the explosion. In ''A Study in Murder'' by Robert Ryan, the explosion blows in the windows of a hotel where Mrs. Gregson is dining, despite being located miles away from the factory.

Vera Brittain Vera Mary Brittain (29 December 1893 – 29 March 1970) was an English Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse, writer, feminist, socialist and pacifist. Her best-selling 1933 memoir '' Testament of Youth'' recounted her experiences during the Fir ...

reports a curious effect of the explosion in her WWI autobiography, '' Testament of Youth'': "Years afterwards a journalist friend told me that on the evening of this disaster she was working in her room in Bayswater when the drawn blind suddenly lifted without a sound, remained horizontal in the air for a moment or two, and then slowly dropped. There was no wind and she had heard no noise. She said it was the most terrifying experience that she had ever been through."V. Brittain, ''Testament of Youth'' (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2009), p. 277. First edition: 1933.

References

Bibliography