Skip to main content

Holton Heath's Secret Military Site

 

A military site between Wareham and Poole was so secret it was deliberately left off an Ordnance Survey map published in the 1940s. At its peak it was the largest industrial complex in Dorset employing around 2,000 people. It was the Royal Navy Cordite Factory. Cordite was a smokeless material developed to replace gunpowder as a military propellant. It was used in large weapons such as tank guns, artillery & naval guns. It was so called because of its cord like appearance.

The explosives site was built during World War I at Holton Heath with the help of around 500 bricklayers. First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill had decided the Royal Navy needed its own cordite manufacturing facility. During this war, certificates were issued to men working at Holton Heath to prove they were engaged on important war work and were not avoiding joining the armed forces.

The factory included a power station, two acid factories, a reservoir, various buildings and a hospital area. Adjacent to the Dorchester to Poole railway line, a five mile internal standard gauge railway was constructed and also a 14 mile narrow gauge network. Poole, Wareham, Wimborne & Bournemouth would provide the labour for the site. Despite much of the work being dirty and dangerous, there was no shortage of recruits because pay was better than working in local agriculture. Horton Heath railway station opened in April 1916 for Admiralty staff and was only made available to the general public from July 1924. In the early years, site security was provided by an armed detachment from the Metropolitan Police. So many people were employed there that two rail footbridges had to be built to accommodate the rush at the start and end of each shift. There was also a jetty in Poole Harbour from where cordite was shipped to Gosport. Large quantities of water were needed for cordite production so a pipeline was built from Corfe Mullen which pumped water from the River Stour.

There were many dangers in the Holton Heath processes and some of the working conditions were unpleasant with the risk of acid burns and the inhalation of dangerous fumes. There were also some serious accidents the worst being on Tuesday 23rd June 1931 when ten staff were killed including the chief chemist. A further 19 employees were injured. The explosion was heard as far away as Blandford.

Although cordite production ceased in 1945, Holton Heath remained open as a a military site but it eventually closed in the late 1990s.

Illustration: Cordite production at Holton Heath.

(Source:  Royal Navy Cordite Factory Association)


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Panda Pops

Panda  Blue Rasperry Ade, Strawberry Jelly & Ice Cream and Casper Ghostly Limeade were all unique soft drink flavours produced by the Panda Pops brand owned by Badger Beers. Panda Pops were often sold in small bottles of fizzy drink that were as sweet and sticky as it was as possible for them to be. Other popular Panda Pop flavours were Cherry Ade and Bright Green Cola. Even more singular blends could be concocted by mixing two or more flavours in a Panda Pops mixing bowl. Panda Cola achieved a sort of cult status and there is even a song, ‘ Warm Panda Cola’ . While among Panda aficionados there was even the spoof blend of Princess Diana Memorial flavour! The Blandford drink competed remarkably well against American giants Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola. Panda Pops date back to the 1960s when the Blandford brewer dropped the name of Sunparlor for its soft drink brands. Sunparlor had also been the name of a winning race horse owned by a member of the Woodhouse family. Cream soda was...
Post a Comment
Read more

Holton Heath's Tragic Explosion

Ten were killed and 23 were injured according to newspaper reports at the time. This made it one of Dorset’s worst ever industrial accidents. Holton Heath employees were blown into unrecognisable fragments necessitating a roll call of the factory’s entire staff before the identities of those killed were identified. Eleven men were originally believed to have been killed but when a roll call was held one turned up. A crimson red plume of acid vapour had towered into the sky resembling the shuddering eruption of a volcano. It was caused by the bursting of a sulphuric acid tank. Close by low buildings vanished and the shock affected houses for 20 miles with roof slates dislodged, ornaments knocked down and windows broken. The sound of the explosion could be heard at Shillingstone some 18 miles away. Closer to the factory, a hoe was wrenched from the hands of a gardener who was flung against a tree. One fortunate employee, Charles Rogers owed his life to having to leave, just before the ...
1 comment
Read more

True Lovers Knot - a Tragic Tale

True Lovers Knot public house describes itself as a traditional  inn set in a picturesque Dorset valley in Tarrant Keynston. Yet, this historical hostelry is said to have gained its name from a particularly tragic tale and still to be haunted by a distressed former publican. This publican’s son met and fell in love with the daughter of the local squire. Because the young lad was not from the gentry they decided to keep their relationship secret from her father. Unfortunately, a stable hand saw the two young lovers together and told her father. Set firmly against this friendship the squire made plans to send his daughter away from the district. Not able to face up to life without her boyfriend, the young girl decided to commit suicide and hanged herself from a tree in the village. So upset was the publican’s son of hearing of his girlfriend’s death he too hanged himself from the same tree. The Tarrant Keynston publican had, himself lost his wife at child birth and now losing his s...
5 comments
Read more