It may be a surprise to know that the biggest “terrorist” planter of ordnance capable of causing harm to human health is not the IRA or ISIS, but those good old boys from Britain’s WW2 Home Guard, who never fail to amaze in how they buried large quantities of crates of self igniting phosphorus grenades, otherwise known as “AW bombs”.
I have chronicled probably the most definitive literature on the production, and detail of these devices on the internet from various sources, but the frequency with which they still appear is quite amazing given that we are now talking 76 years since they were manufactured by Albright and Wilson of Oldbury.
Manufactured for a tank invasion that never came to Britain, these weapons containing white phosphorus and benzene were both useless but harmful. We know exactly how many were made from this letter (over 7 million under two MOS contracts) , yet the MOD claim they don’t know what happened to them.
The latest cache of a reported crate of 24 was found in Herefordshire on an industrial estate. Below is what this may have looked like.
“Residents were advised to close all windows and doors, and to keep away from smoke from the grenades as the smoke can cause temporary respiratory problems and irritation to eyes and skin.”
