The Mushroom Cloud Over Britain: RAF Fauld and the Hanbury Crater

Near the village of Hanbury is RAF Fauld. Once it was a munitions dump: now it's a crater. Here's why. (I'm indebted to authors, archivists and aerial crews for this video: here's a full bibliography and list of image credits!)
DOCUMENTS AND PHOTOS:
All historical photos and documents shown are from the National Archives, references AIR 17/9-14, HO 186/2772-2773, and are Crown Copyright released under the Open Government License: www.nationalarc...
NUCLEAR TEST VIDEO:
Operation Cue (1955), by the US Federal Civil Defense Administration, is in the public domain and available at archive.org/de...
AERIAL FOOTAGE:
Specially filmed by a team from Coptercam: you can see their behind-the-scenes vlog at • Tom Scotts Faulds crater !
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Jones, T. (1988). The Great Fauld Explosion. Staffordshire Studies, 1.
McCamley, N. (2004). Disasters Underground. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military.
NOTES:
"Brass chisels can cause sparks" is a summary of the inquest's findings. For those in the comments, here's the full version: "in all probability the work of chipping out the C.E. [composition explosive] Exploder from a 1,000 lb M.C. bomb, using a brass chisel, was the cause of the explosion. It is known that C.E. will explode easily if struck between brass and steel surfaces". In this context, 'brass chisels can cause sparks' does make sense!
The inquest looked at all the available evidence and judged that to be by far the most likely explanation (and the only one that made sense given all the facts).
🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
(you can find contact details and social links there too)
📰 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER with good stuff from the rest of the internet: www.tomscott.c...
❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com/ / lateralcast
➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS: / tomscottplus
👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif
And if you've read this far, I'd like to add a quick note: I love it when I get to actually research things for a video. For the first time, I went to the British National Archives, and got to handle original documents from the 1940s. It felt like quite a privilege to be able to read the first person accounts, and to look at photographs and documents that have been sealed away for years.

[@devastator5042]

I'll say this Tom would make a great historical documentary presenter

[@Yeldur]

I concur!

[@DavidAndrewsPEC]

Actually, I reckon he'd be brilliant presenting on anything!

[@Yeldur]

David Andrews He does just have that perfect presenters voice, I'd say it's on the same level as Dan Snow/Peter Snow.

[@jamiewilson8253]

Very much so.

[@josephtabar492]

Why?

[@rud]

With channels like this, who needs a TV? :)

[@speedy01247]

not me.

[@lukemolwitz9769]

Like a mini documentary, but without the pointless details you don't want to hear, and you'll still want to research if you aren't satisfied.

[@rud]

Yes and without the 8 minutes of commercials followed by 5 minutes of what we just learned before the commercials. (I haven't had cable in 3 years, I assume it is still like that).

[@BertGrink]

I wouldn't know; it's been almost 8 years since i last watched anything on TV. All they showed were mindnumbing "reality shows" and stuff like that, which isn't very interesting.

[@jglackey2]

+Martin J that's what it feels like it is.

[@TomScottGo]

Hey! Are you about to comment about brass chisels sparking, or about how the inquest could know what happened? Have a look at the "notes" section in the full description, or at the comments that have come before you. That's already been answered a few times!

[@Koharuboshi]

+

[@AbhayKumar-cm2kh]

+

[@MidtownSkyport]

+

[@caru93]

Also, RAF bombs in WW2 were mostly made using amatol, and while this is just a snip from wikipedia(go ahead and do the research yourself if you're sceptical)... "Amatol should not be stored in containers made from copper or brass, as it can form unstable compounds sensitive to vibration. Pressed, it is relatively insensitive but may be detonated by severe impact, whereas when cast, it is extremely insensitive. Primary explosives such as mercury fulminate were often used as a detonator, in combination with an explosive booster charge such as tetryl."

[@barnakey]

+

[@ehall9149]

I have lived in the village of Tutbury nearby for my whole life and my Great grandad worked down there when it went off, he apparently said he survived after going for a cigarette and it all went up and was helped to escape after the explosion by an old miner who he never saw again. Apparently most of the kids at the school my grandad went to knew what had happened and were sent home, then during the evening his dad walked through the door covered in gypsum dust to the words, you’re late for tea. I would have to double check but I think some distant relatives of mine were the occupants of the farm that was above the explosion. I have been told that my grandad saw the huge tall boy bombs being moved around on trucks through the village and surrounding areas. As well as this for some bonus history, down the road and across the river around Hatton there was an airfield with parts of the runway still visible today being used by a recycling plant. But also there was a large US army camp stretching to a place called Hilton with bunkers and old barbed white fences still visible in the fields around.

[@davewalker7126]

As kids in the 60's we used to cycle to the crater and explore, as Tom indicated a lot of the site and tunnels remained even after the explosion. I also returned in the mid 80's and the site was still unfenced and accessible, so long as you knew the way.

[@scootergrant8683]

@@davewalker7126 Gee I wish I grew up back then. Still so many old sites you could have visited. Bunkers and the like. Now-a-days you can't even play conkers or climb a tree without getting bombarded by health and safety.

[@joshyoung1440]

Thanks for sharing. By the way, when you said "barbed white fences"... did you mean barbed wire fences, or did you mean barbed white fence, and if the latter, what is that? Is it like a white picket fence with barbed wire? Some other kind of white fence with barbed wire? Some kind of fence with the barbs built in to the white part?

[@briceboyee8536]

@@scootergrant8683 Welp. I, some kid in Ohio, now know what Conkers is, but thanks, it was interesting 🤣🤣😂😂

[@_Ben4810]

There was so much old military infrastructure still visible along the old Uttoxeter Road/new A50 around that area...That original WW2 hanger near the Hays Distribution (now JCB Engines) remained standalone original until just a few years ago I think...

[@egalomon]

the aerial shots are beautiful!

[@KBeadle]

obviously I couldn't agree more :)

[@egalomon]

Probably. Unless Tom can afford a helicopter already ;)

[@poppyflorist]

he uses his drone... there was a video about it too

[@josephtabar492]

Why?

[@Ascertivus]

Agreed! 🤩

[@Nulono]

Who stores bombs under a farmhouse with people living in it?

[@prosincr]

A country with no room left

[@Allofusien]

The RAF, apparently.

[@metropod]

the extremely desperate for storage space.

[@AntiComposite]

The RAF, apparently

[@TomScottGo]

There were very few places in the UK that were suitable as underground munitions stores in the 1930s: they need to be covered by a lot of rock, but accessible without needing heavy lifting equipment; and they need to be disused, or at least not detrimental to the war effort. One of the books in the bibliography runs through why this was such a difficult thing to find.

[@hencytjoe]

Oh HELL, your endings, like "And America went on to make their own mushroom cloud", always intrigues me. :')

[@AnnaMaria-bb6ze]

Tom

[@WittyMick03]

@@AnnaMaria-bb6ze They nuked japan.

[@clifftonicstudios7469]

@@WittyMick03 Actually nazi technology

[@fruitella196]

Clifftonic Studios not really

[@shayan7579]

@@clifftonicstudios7469 nope Nazis didnt even try to build one

[@macaroon_nuggets8008]

"After peanut butter and chocolate, my favorite combination of two things is probably gross incompetence and high explosives." - Sam O'Nella

[@boo24998]

"this was a ammo dump" ooh boy , I can see where this goes

[@DigitalImpostor]

Everywhere, apparently.

[@lewismassie]

ba dum tss

[@SamSitar]

someone might make new entrances.

[@Belano1911]

Yes, a long way upwards.

[@Wordsnwood]

Love the camera work on this one, especially at 0:15. Really smooth drone shot. Kind of interesting to hear about the US and UK *NOT* sharing information during WWII... We just kind of assumed that since they were all on the same side it was share and share alike. Obviously not.

[@OrigamiMarie]

Might be that there was lots of sharing of successes and less sharing of failures.

[@CheeseTaterson]

I figure the perceived tactlessness in how the US government may've posed the inquiry may have a lot to do with it. Here, a terrible accident occurred among one of their biggest allies, and yet they were only interested in the data, as though it were some sort of test.

[@spelcheak]

+CheeseTaterson you aren't going to say "sorry 60-90 people died" when they were at war.

[@speedy01247]

Seeing as the UK did not get their own nuclear weapon's right after america made their's, yeah I don't think they were all share friendly. Though maybe it was because America was still a bit wary of the U.K since we did have that War plan against them. (U.S had a anti U.K war plan, U.K officially did not have one against the U.S)

[@bucklebill2]

A war plan does not mean they intended to go to war, it was a just incase...

[@ivanalfaro3039]

Man I love the frequency of these videos - great quality on every single one too, keep it up Tom

[@angtartitus1235]

It's so strange he hasn't already hit 1 Million subs....

[@ivanalfaro3039]

+Angtartitus 1 True, he definitely deserves it

[@MonkeySuperGamer]

+

[@diamondengineering7507]

2.4Gh???

[@nir61202]

You do realize frequency is simply how many times a thing happens in a specified period of time right? It doesn't have to be wireless frequency.

[@lifthras11r]

"To most people, mushroom clouds mean nuclear explosions [...]. But they don't have to be: any large enough explosion will cause a mushroom cloud." Most recently, and unfortunately, demonstrated by the Beirut explosions. We tend to underestimate the power of non-nuclear bombs and explosives after the wake of nuclear weapons.

[@teogonzalez7957]

And of course there were hundreds of conspiracy theories claiming it was a nuke fired by Israel.

[@Rotem_S]

@@teogonzalez7957 couldn't you just go check that with a Geiger counter in three seconds?

[@TotallyStonedBi]

@@Rotem_S well yes but people love to conspire. Anyone with a btain knows it was a factory explosion. But some believe otherwise. Plus would know if it was a nuke anyway. The way it explodes, the cloud, the heat, etc.

[@WarrenCromartie2]

@@teogonzalez7957 Peddled by people who don't know anything about nuclear weapons, and what nuclear explosions look like. There was a similar explosion in Ukraine about 5 years ago, which happened at night. I think that was also an ammunition store going up. Conspiracy theories circled that incident too.

[@iitzfizz]

Agreed, it's easy to look at numbers like 15 kilotons and 1 megaton etc and though you know it's big you can't quite comprehend how big. The fact that the Beiruit explosion was 1.5kt and still 10 times smaller than the smallest primitave nuke and looked like it did was wild. It's unimaginable what 1 megaton would be like over a city.

[@KingWorstie]

i love this channel, whereas in the past documentaries on tv intrigued me, they have since been replaced by uninteresting reality shows. i have found this channel a few months ago and i must say that few other creators present their stories in such a way that you are transported to their location and time and are fully immersed

[@Twitchi]

Such a beautiful way of putting it

[@rngwrldngnr]

+

[@bonenintomatensaus]

BBC 2 is still pretty ok, isn't it?

[@QuantumFluxable]

BBC 2 might not be available in their part of the world, I for one don't even own a TV or other means to watch tele anymore however :D

[@ejcmoorhouse]

I agree Tom is a brilliant present he can make anything easy to understand which is something only the best and most engaging documentaries do. Shame there aren't more of them.

[@wolfman2691]

When the red stone wiring doesn’t go well when you try to make a small Minecraft hole

[@Vaiski25]

When you just wanted to mine some copper

[@oui3255]

when you ignite the master switch instead of only the area you wanted to blow up

[@LepusZeppelin]

Please never leave the internet for television; you're already far too talented.

[@RUFU58]

Germans - *How can we destroy this munitions base?* British - *Hold my cup of tea...*

[@Omnishredder]

Is it Yorkshire gold tea? I'll not hold anything but

[@kylekaye9147]

PG tips. The Tea of gods 😉

[@geryon]

I'm curious how do they know what started the explosion? I would have imagined that everyone who was close enough to see it would have died and it would be difficult to look at a crater and say that this definitely looks like the work of a brass chisel.

[@tissot233]

I wonder how many people were in the underground storage at the time of the explosion? Maybe at the time it was only couple of people and none of the other tasks that people were assigned to had anything special about them? You wouldn't think many people were allowed there at the same time and also had to have specific task. Just speculating of course.

[@wurfyy]

My guess is that the guy was doing it all the time and usually nothing bad happened, but everyone knew it was dangerous so when those who happened to be far enough at the time of the explosion were asked by the investigators, they said "it was probably that one buffoon with the hammer that cause it".

[@strangelee4400]

Also..i thought brass chisels are used because they DON'T cause sparks. That's why they are brass instead of steel.

[@Duppy3737]

My Uncle Bob Hollis lived at Belmot gate close to Fauld he was a fireman at the time, he told me on numerous occasions about seeing people removing detonators with steel chisels not brass chisels also POWs worked down their. He said soil was still coming down days later. I have been down in the crater ,there were MOD signs and unexploded bombs signs I was about 12 and naive, with my mates at the time we saw tunnel entrance's with padlocked metal gates and train tracks leading into the mines , it's sad to think of the farm that completely disappeared and all the lives lost through carelessness. 🙏🙏

[@OhMrMeme]

Tom really needs to be hired by the BBC and needs his own show. His way of presenting gets you engrossed in every topic and no one has ever kept my attention as long as Tom has.

[@dirtypure2023]

Just so happened to be every commanding officer's day off...

[@tgpoppins3904]

no one likes Mondays

[@pierremainstone-mitchell8290]

"Britain never answered and America went on to make it's own mushroom clouds" - Macabrely humorous but very well put indeed Tom!

[@Algorhythm027]

So how did they figure out someone used a brass chisel on a detonator AFTER the whole thing blew? Is that just speculation?

[@TomScottGo]

The full inquest looks at, and dismisses, half a dozen explanations (including enemy action and poorly made American bombs), and - looking at the working practices and lack of safety down there - shows it's by far the most likely explanation that's consistent with all the facts.

[@Algorhythm027]

schweet

[@DeandreSteven]

brass doesnt cause sparks. only ferrous metals do....

[@jguth6]

yeah i don't understand that bit. We used to use brass chisels on oil rigs in zones where sparks were a no go. You couldn't use a camera flash and couldn't use any electrical equipment that wasn't intrinsically safe. Cant see how a brass chisel caused this. Although a brass chisel CAN cause sparks, they are cold sparks and cant ignite anything "Non-sparking tools also generate sparks sometimes referred to as “cold sparks”. These cold sparks have a low heat level and do not ignite carbon disulfide, which has the lowest ignition point of any substance known to man." It is what the result of the inquest said though, and an eyewitness had saw people use brass chisels instead of a wooden batten

[@jesusnthedaisychain]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that. We use brass tools specifically to avoid sparks on the job. I guess it's just harder to make brass spark.

[@Maddybreenofficial]

The emotion and sensitivity you approach with always touches me Tom. Thank you so much for making these videos. I would love to see you do a video on Greenham Common!

[@daveh7720]

Mr. Scott, thank you for keeping your videos interesting, informative, short, and to the point. I've given up on other channels because their productions went from 5 - 7 minutes to 17 minutes over the last few years. But yours are still on point. Well done!

[@Yeldur]

I love this channel, the production quality of each video and the general atmosphere, as well as the way all the information is given to us (Through a lovely voice!) makes for a perfect channel to get information. Thank you for existing Tom Scott! Without you I'd be a tad more ignorant of many different things.

[@Flagen579]

That last line though. Props to you.

[@RSpudieD]

Wow, video was nicely done and some very interesting info. Sad that a shocking amount of people died because of one person's carelessness, but a lesson learned.

[@TomScottGo]

One of the really important conclusions of the inquest is that this wasn't just one person's carelessness! The whole chain of command shared the blame for allowing that to happen -- but at the same time, there was a war on, the job had to get done, and in a situation like that standards will slip.

[@RSpudieD]

Wow. Guess it was one bad thing leading to another and so on in a bad time.

[@slikrx]

Many catastrophic accidents are caused not by a single point of failure, but usually a long chain of unlikely events that add up, combine, then boom. (or crunch,etc as the case may be)

[@noizeuk]

Moreover, most safety procedures are a result of someones malpractice.

[@amak1131]

So much this. When you're stressed and overworked, mistakes happen in the civilian sector. The military isn't exempt... except it means, very likely, people will die. The fact 3 high ranking officials were allowed to be away at the same time boggles my mind...

[@MadSister101]

Can we all just stop what we're doing and appreciate how beautiful that drone shot at 0:15 is?

[@DaleFosterUK]

How have I not heard about this?! Nice video, Tom! It was very interesting :D. I won't lie though, I have the urge to find a lost entrance (if one even exists). The idea of being where no one has in 70+ years and seeing a lost piece of history is almost to much to refuse! I expect im in the very small minority xD.

[@TomScottGo]

If you look online, you can find some photos from people who have done the trip. The regular urban explorers, the folks online for whom it's part of a lifestyle, took only photos and left only footprints -- but, from their reports, more careless people ruined it for everyone.

[@DaleFosterUK]

I did have a quick look through a few urban explorer sites and I've seen a few posts of the adventures some people have had. It was just as interesting as I hoped and from what I saw there, there are entrances to parts of the mine that were used after the explosion and some entrances to the older parts of the mine that were close to the explosion but they don't go into much detail about where they were. On an side note/question: Do you plan on doing a video for Fukushima in the future? I know you have done Chernobyl (Some of my favourite video that you have done) and I was hoping you might do Fukushima too. Fukushima is on my bucket list and I plan on visiting both Chernobyl and Fukushima in the near future :D Sorry for the late reply! KZbin seems to not like sending me notifications when I'm replied to. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't! It's rather a pain at times .

[@stensoft]

Even more incredible is that after this devastating explosion, the site was still used to store huge amounts of ammunition until mid-1970s.

[@happi-entity]

what are the chances of that happening again in the same place, right?

[@stensoft]

seigeengine It was never repaired

[@Karen1963Yorks]

Well if you store the same materials and use the same methods then rather high.

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

@@happi-entity Plenty

[@HarryInEdi]

That was certainly one of the most fascinating videos you've ever made.

[@3enjoy3]

Well done, Tom, on the personal research you did for this video. Historical documents, even from recent history, are fascinating in so many ways!

[@superhooch]

Absolutely crazy that people lived in the farmhouse above. And crazy that I'd never heard of this incident until now

[@jonpugs1548]

This is comfortably my favourite youtube channel.

[@Dixavd]

This is one of my favourite videos you've ever made. Truly fantastic, thank you.

[@OniLink147]

That last line is almost haunting. Amazing job man.

[@melani3149]

I'm glad you enjoyed making this video! It would be really cool to go to the Archives and look at those documents! I love history

[@tdp2612]

Unfortunately this video is about to perk up again in views, isnt it

[@jmanting6889]

These videos are very informative and incredibly well delivered. Thanks Tom and everyone else behind these!

[@raffern]

Who dislikes these videos? I think they're awesome, and well presented.

[@HarryInEdi]

Why isn't Tom over 5 millions subs? The quality, frequency and commitment with these videos deserves many more.

[@Antisceptic]

Day-brie - never heard it pronounced that way before.

[@TomScottGo]

My dialect and accent have some strong American influences in them, so generally someone from one or the other side of the Atlantic will complain at some point.

[@Azivegu]

i honestly say both day-brie and deh-brie. Not really sure under which circumstance I use one or the other though.

[@bring2light248]

Was thinking the exact same thing lol

[@Ben786]

Can never please everyone!

[@pisse3000]

+Azivegu deh-BRIE is American and DAY-brie is English. With significant regional variance of course, but that's the general rule.

[@iavv334]

Also nice mic drop towards America at the end there

[@jessicamenschel6775]

`Murica. Don't tell us what we want to know. WE'LL FIND THE F OUT! BOOOOOOMMMMM oops. oh thats what happens. hey lets do it 10 more times to be sure... yep, yep still the same thing. I wonder, what happens if we do it to people. hey JAPAN watch this....

[@GLaDTheresCake]

Let's all be glad the US did what they had to to Japan. And thereby keeping the situation from escalating further. It's not like they didn't warn the population of Hiroshima and Nagasaki either, they rained down millions of pamphlets on the cities they were thinking of bombing way beforehand. It was an extreme action yes, and we should never repeat such a thing ever again, but the same should be said of the war that warranted it.

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

Also, it's worth noting that Japan was itself working on a way to nuclear bomb America into oblivion. If we delayed our research a couple of months, it would have been Los Angeles and Anaheim, instead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Point being, war makes monsters of us all.

[@tyranschmidt6439]

Yeah literally none of what you said is true. Japan was literally in talks with it's generals about surrendering before the US bombed it.

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_nuclear_weapon_program

[@craigstickels50]

Fantastic video Tom, living local to this we too walked the walk to discover the crater, this was a gypsum mine prior to being acquired by the RAF for the war effort, one piece of information that I discovered, which may or may not be of use or knowledge was that most of the workforce in the stores were actually Italian prisoners of war. Most of the tools used inside were wooden to ensure this didnt happen, however human error accounts for the damage. British Gypsum still mine the site to this day, it is an unbelievably big hole that gets lost with the amount of growth now there.

[@qjnel12345]

you deserve millions of subs. very professional and actually interesting

[@mrhotspice]

I love how 3 people were on 'leave' during the war. "You warring on tuesday Mike?" "Nah I'm on holiday, think Jeff's off too"

[@Ostsol]

Seems that, like the Chyrnobyl exclusion zone, it's now a de facto nature preserve.

[@ytadmin]

random comment from someone you will never meet : your videos on this channel are great. They are well thought out, interesting, and entertaining. Keep up the superb work.

[@vibraphonics]

Great drone work

[@KBeadle]

thanks

[@davidIT7]

As children we used to frequently play in the crater, there was no fence or trees then there was deep ponds in the bottom in one area. The RAF did close it for some time to search for munitions.

[@subjectofgov]

Brass chisels cause Sparks? We always used brass tools in highly hazardous areas. Brass is too soft the make Sparks.

[@michaeldanks5975]

@@leightonjks have another look at the description under notes, in particular the "full version", nowhere it says "spark".

[@benpowersification]

These videos are so ace. Every one is well presented, a little nugget of interesting information that you would never have heard about elsewhere. I hope never to come up against Mr Scott in a pub quiz!

[@benjaminhackett8896]

How do they know someone tried to use a brass chisel to remove a detonator from a live bomb, if everyone who would be a witness was vaporized? I'm guessing it's because it's the only obvious answer for how it could have happened? Technically they wouldn't know whether the workers got into a bit of fisticuffs and knocked something over, or even dropped a cigarette into something sensitive, right? Also, half the bombs survived? Imagine the destruction if they had all gone off...

[@advancelast1740]

Engaging, intelligent, interesting. What a great presenter and channel. The internet at its best. Thank you

[@thirdwheel1985au]

And four years later, another, admittedly accidental, munitions dump would result in a massive non nuclear mushroom cloud and massive devastation.

[@johnmessenger4351]

The aerial views you showed are really good. Vegetation obscured the full view when I visited in the summer .

[@JosueWithContext]

How did they know a guy with a chisel caused the bombs to go off? Wasn't he and everyone else around him caught in the blast?

[@rosewhite---]

old bombs get unstable. dark damp tunnels make bombs slippery.

[@user-gk1mp1zk7n]

They were seen using them earlier I guess

[@kotresh]

Maybe someone saw him going that, and ran away "very fast" ;)

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

One worker going off shift saw someone sitting astride a bomb, using the wrong tools. Having reached the open air, he paused and heard two distinct 'thuds' in the mine behind him........

[@gamophyte]

No matter how mundane I think the video might be per the subject (not this one but others) the videos are always captivating. Worth a go at watching all the past vids for sure, esp things you might not know

[@FredPilcher]

I've been there. An amazing experience!

[@UpcycleElectronics]

I would watch this series for hours if I could....Oh, wait...I did...and.. now I'm just greedy and want more. Why are there so many channels of mindless fluff on so many television channels? This series is intriguing, informative, explorative, with content that is educational and entertaining. This is language, writing, and speaking, reclassified purely as an exercise of the arts, and you Sir are the top of the class. Well done.

[@Betacak3]

At least the guy who caused it will never know what he has done.

[@tarantulaguy1998]

I live around 7km/4 miles away in Burton, Staffordshire, and I heard about this explosion in my youth, how it flung material so far, that it cracked roofs here, and shattered church spires. A legit mushroom cloud in Britain, almost unthinkable, but it was once very real. Very informative vid!

[@VividBagels]

Are those drone shots? Its beautiful

[@VividBagels]

Also I feel like your like a date uploading vsauce, that's a good thing

[@mmmaximusss]

Yeah they are :)

[@fiets5784]

Nah, he's just a very tall guy.

[@mmmaximusss]

+Dragger XD

[@martinsoendergaard-jensen9602]

No, he gave them to a blue fairy who took the video for him.

[@elliotthomas6029]

One of the best channels on KZbin! 500,000 subs doesn't do you justice!

[@dogphlap6749]

How does anyone know the explosion was caused by someone with a brass chisel and a hammer trying to remove the detonator from a bomb ? Also brass chisels do not create sparks no matter how hard you hit them with a hammer, not to say they won't set off a detonator though by shock or impact.

[@Ascertivus]

I think that this was a _very_ interesting topic for a video. I enjoyed the presentation the whole way through. Another lovely Tom Scott production.

[@casedistorted]

Sooo kind of like the explosion that just happened in Beirut? That’s the only thing I can imagine this looking like.. that one was scary.

[@hyperash11]

well no since that wasn’t bombed

[@casedistorted]

@@hyperash11 It was an enormous amount of fertilizer being stored in one building (what I read), which are essentially explosives. So it's basically the same thing as being bombed. Tomatoe Tomato

[@benjaminharrisongray9079]

This one was worse than the recent Beirut. This here was 4,000 tons of aluminum-magnesium inciderary shells packed with thermite pellets, and the one that was live, was enough to set off the rest.

[@casedistorted]

@@benjaminharrisongray9079 Holy Jesus..

[@daz1098s]

1. Brass does not produce a spark. 2. Bombs were not stored with fuses. Fuses are only fitted prior to loading the aircraft. 3. It was suspected that someone tried to remove exudation (brown crystalisation that forms due to explosive composition sweats out of the bomb case through the threads of the fuse pocket) this is highly volatile and if chipped off can detonate, setting off the bomb and any other ordnance in the area (sympathetic detonation).

[@chrissearle]

you should work for the BBC, both your content and presentation are impeccable.

[@jerviservi]

Very nice video tom. Not sure how you keep making them better than the one before. Enjoy your trip

[@JayfeatherFan1000]

Worst. Monday. Ever.

[@sammysamsamsammy]

God that ending. You're got damn good delivery Scott.

[@MCchomper]

How do they know that someone used a brass chisel? Cos you'd think that the people who seen it wouldn't haven been standing for very long.

[@elliottmcollins]

0:18 Aren't we fancy with the crazy aerial panning?

[@atolmasoff]

Maybe they should've answered.

[@kjamison5951]

Another top notch video. Clear, concise and to the point. Tom's great!

[@EP3mentalist]

If everything was obliterated, and everyone there was dead, how do we know what set off the explosion?

[@davids1716]

Described by The Times today as a "comedian and science enthusiast " in connection with the false vinegar episode. I think that, while at times extremely funny, Tom deserves better. Keep them coming Sir.

[@testbenchdude]

Hi Tom, I love your videos, but could you provide a source regarding the brass tools? I was under the impression that brass tools are supposed to be used where you don't want sparks. How did they figure out what had happened when the entire site blew up? Thanks!

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

I think the incident was sparked off by an oik using a steel chisel instead - a worker leaving the mine saw someone doing that, sitting astride a bomb in an outer chamber, and possibly using the wrong kind of chisel. There had already been a lot of corners cut due to war pressure - bombs which had been jettisoned and recovered were not supposed to be taken into the mine unless the detonators had been removed, in an above ground compound. Unfortunately this practice had fallen into disuse, as there were so many to deal with. And of course all three top brass were away at the same time...... but had already allowed the malpractice to become commonplace

[@ErikGomez]

This is the coolest ending line in any of your videos

[@ianmacfarlane1241]

With the greatest of respect, how do they know that someone created a spark while attempting to remove a detonator with a chisel? Surely there were no witnesses to the accident.

[@juliezaremskiy3635]

You need your own TV show, this is quality content right here!

[@houstonceng]

Brass chisels do not cause sparks. More likely, the vibrations set off the detonator.

[@seanf2450]

@@leightonjks What it says is "It is known that C.E. will explode easily if struck between brass and steel surfaces". That doesn't mean brass can create a spark; it can't. But the impact of the tools can cause the explosive to detonate.

[@tesstickle7267]

@@seanf2450 so a brass chisel can create sparks,mushroom clouds and big holes in the ground.

[@keithparker5103]

@@leightonjksI think the issue most people have is the statement in the video, quote "brass chisels cause sparks" they do not. Someone may have been using a brass chisel and caused a detonation by some other means, vibration for example.

[@rowanhorton8170]

Genuinely your best video yet in my opinion

[@NukaPlaysGames]

Why didn't you pop into my house for tea while you were in Staffs? >:(.

[@Andrei5656]

That last line was a bit savage, Tom, haha. I highly appreciate your videos, thank you for the time you put into them.

[@strongandco]

I read the notes on Brass/Sparks and not convinced. Brass and Steel don't spark, refinerys and chemical plants have been insisting on brass tools in the most volitile areas (when they can't be reliably purged) for decades. Perhaps 'spark' is the wrong term? Could they really mean that the shock/vibration/heat or whatever from the impact of a brass chisel set off the contact explosive? Another option might be that the two parts of the steel casing that were being seperated caused the spark when they jarred together? The final option is, never trust the outcome of an inquest into an incident at a government ministry when there are no survivors. The people at the top look after each other, even if it's at the expense of the people at the bottom, especially when they are dead, they can't defend themselves.

[@grayswandir47]

I was thinking the same thing. Brass tools are commonly used with UXE and in volatile environments. My father was a machinists mate on the USS Sperry during WWII and once told me how he made some brass tools that were needed to repair battle damage on a destroyer (Dad used the term destroyer to describe any ship with guns. It could have been anything from a frigate to a cruiser.)

[@midnightgear2616]

Read the notes in the description.

[@peterson7082]

@@grayswandir47 USS _Sperry_ was a sub tender, make little sense for it to be used on destroyers.

[@THB192]

Your camera work just keeps getting better, Tom!

[@Ahead144]

Believe he had a small crew this time, Someone to film him and another to get the drone shots. I think he put a photo of the filming on his Twitter

[@MateusAntonioBittencourt]

Is there any estimate on how powerful the explosion was in kilotons?

[@TomScottGo]

It's very, very difficult to estimate: while researching, I saw anything from 2 to 5 kilotons-of-TNT-equivalent.

[@rileybanks1191]

4 kT. Hiroshima was between 13 and 18 kT.

[@MateusAntonioBittencourt]

***** Wow... that would make it one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions. Yikes... Thanks for the response...

[@johncochran8497]

+Mateus Bittencourt Yup, it was about a third larger than the Halifax Explosion. Although the Halifax explosion caused a lot more deaths and injuries. And every year Boston Massachusetts gets a Christmas tree from Nova Scotia in remembrance of how they responded to that disaster.

[@deaththekid416]

Under a hill*

[@troylivingstone1082]

Perhaps it's because I'm very much interested in the topic. But this - by a leap and bound - is one of your very best videos.

[@filmfilm86]

4 years later it happened in Lebanon

[@cluckington6453]

R.i.p

[@benjaminharrisongray9079]

4 years? This incident was in 1944 so that's 76 years.

[@filmfilm86]

@@benjaminharrisongray9079 i see you didnt watch the whole video...

[@Leigh984]

As the title says things you might not know, I didn’t know about this and found it fascinating and a thought provoking and very well produced film. Have caught a few of your films in my recommendations but really only just properly exploring your channel after the @MyVirginKitchen collaboration, you just got a new Sub !.

[@prosincr]

🏃🏻 Tom Scott

[@3enjoy3]

Hahahaha!

[@kianjsr]

🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻

[@quintenmessemaker8931]

Run away square tom scott?

[@charliecooper2664]

It's an emoji. The one with the jeans and red t shirt, it won't come up on a computer but you might know the one I'm talking about.

[@mjblack2020]

🚶🏼more like this I think

[@wolfegaming36]

I'd pay good money for a documentary co-hosted by Tom Scott and Michael Palin. Especially a historical travel documentary, like touring castles of Europe with fun tidbits you've never heard.

[@BestFleetAdmiral]

Hm yeah, brass doesn't spark. Even if you do hit it against steel, still wont spark. Only steel on steel or iron on steel or stuff like that will spark. Ferrous metal on ferrous metal, really.

[@TomScottGo]

A few folks have said that; I'm summarising the inquest's results there. To quote the first paragraph of the inquest's conclusion: "in all probability the work of chipping out the C.E. [composition explosive] Exploder from a 1,000 lb M.C. bomb, using a brass chisel, was the cause of the explosion. It is known that C.E. will explode easily if struck between brass and steel surfaces". In this context, 'brass chisels can cause sparks' does make sense!

[@andik70]

Actually I am far more intrigued by the question: how did they come up with this explanation? It didnt look like there was any evidence left behind - does the report say anything about that?

[@lereff1382]

was asking that myself as well

[@NoktynGaming]

Rock on iron will make sparks. It being ferrous makes no difference in it's ability to spark. A spark is just a heated fragment of matter or a discharge of electricity.

[@michaelsommers2356]

_"Only steel on steel or iron on steel or stuff like that will spark."_ Which explains why flintlock muskets never worked.

[@MasGood]

Great presentation and awesome product for just a guy and a cameraman

[@Scribblersys]

2:28 Something tells me that's not the moon.

[@vedvod]

Scribblers of course not, we don’t have moon footage

[@Leo_Santisteban]

@@vedvod What do you mean with we don't have moon footage?

[@vedvod]

Leosacsahh I mean you just proved Poe’s law Search it up

[@Leo_Santisteban]

@@vedvod hahaha sorry

[@Leo_Santisteban]

@@vedvod HOW DO YOU HAVE A MOVING PFP ?

[@ZaccoOfficial]

I love how you're always on location

[@davidemmyg]

Wonder how they knew that someone was trying to remove a fuse before the explosion when everything is obliterated

[@Outamyhead]

My mum told me that when the RAF were using part of my great granddad's farmland as an airfield, there would be stacks of bombs either side of the dirt roads that my great granddad used to get around the land, airfield had been strafed a few times as well.

[@RBsRealm]

sounds like your typical minecraft server.

[@Wd40RecklessEngineer]

2b2t spawn