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 accident, to deliver a
message.
A crowd gathered at the factory gates demanding news of
relatives. Then, there were scenes of tearful and thankful reunions resembling
those of a mining disaster. Doctors and nurses were rushed to the accident defying
the risk of fire as the burst tank of sulphuric acid had flooded the area. A
shed was converted into a mortuary to accommodate the increasing number of
corpses. One unfortunate victim was identified by his trousers and another by
his boots.
The accident had occurred at the Royal Navy Cordite Factory,
Holton Heath at 10.34am on the 23rd June 1931 where around 1,500
staff were employed. The King and Queen sent a message of sympathy.
‘His Majesty the King
has given instructions that his deepest sympathy and that of Her Majesty the
Queen is to be conveyed to the dependents of those who lost their lives in the
Holton Heath explosion and he has requested to be kept informed of the progress
of those who were injured.’
It was the most serious accident in the factory’s history
although three men had been killed in an explosion 18 months earlier. In June
2015, a Memorial Stone was unveiled at the site in memory of the tragedy.
Image: Royal Navy Cordite Factory - Holton Heath.
(Source: Evening News
25th June 1931.)
A minor point, but the acid which was expelled was a mixture of nitric & sulphuric acids.
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