Army Team Destroys Second World War Bomb

Teams from the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Group have destroyed a World War Two bomb in Oxfordshire.

A farmer raised the alarm after finding the device when ploughing fields just outside Drayton, near Abingdon-on-Thames.

The item was identified as an RAF Medium Capacity 500lb bomb, believed to have been dropped on the land when it was used as a bombing range during the Second World War.

A large sandbag structure was put in place. That helped contain a controlled explosion carried out by 621 EOD Squadron, 11 EOD & Search Regiment RLC, a part of 29 EOD&S Group.

After examination of the debris, the bomb was found to contain no explosives, but due to its size, an explosion was considered the appropriate action, the Army said.

Colonel Daniel Reyland, Commander of 29 EOD&S Group, said it was an “excellent example of the EOD jobs” the team is called out to "on a regular basis".

“While the discovery of a bomb this large is relatively unusual, supporting the emergency services to protect the UK is business as usual for the military”, he said.

29 EOD&S Group took on responsibility for all land EOD activity at the beginning of April, with support from the Royal Navy’s Fleet Diving Squadron, coinciding with a drawdown of the RAF's bomb disposal capability.

The RAF teams had provided support for UK incidents until April 2019, and continued to be involved in incidents involving crashed aircraft and overseas operations - until standing down on 1 April.

“As the Group takes on full responsibility for EOD response, I would like to thank the RAF’s 5131 (Bomb Disposal) Squadron for their sterling service alongside us over the years,” Colonel Reyland said.

Cover image: MOD.