The Silvertown Explosion...

Silvertown is an area of West Ham in East London, on the north bank of the River Thames.  In 1893, a chemical factory was built on the North Woolwich Rd by Brunner-Mond and Co. Ltd.  By the summer of 1915, WWI was well under way, and the British were suffering a severe shell shortage.

Despite protests from Brunner-Mond, the building was taken over by the War Office in 1915, to be used as a munitions factory.  Specifically, it was to be used to purify greater quantities of TNT for use in shells.  Ninety-eight years ago today, on the 19th of January, 1917, a fire broke out at the factory, and travelled to some nearby railway wagons, where some 50 tons of TNT were waiting to be moved.

At 6.52pm, the TNT ignited.

The blast was heard over 100 miles away, and the glow from the fires could be seen from all over the southeast.

The factory was destroyed, as were several hundred houses and businesses nearby.  Over 60,000 (yes, sixty thousand) other buildings were damaged.  Seventy-three people lost their lives that day, and there were over 400 injuries.

The death toll may seem relatively light, but the explosion occurred after most of the factory workers had left for the day.  Had it occurred a little earlier (or a little later, when people had gone to bed - the upper floors of the houses bore the brunt of the damage), the consequences could have been horrendous.

As a young child, I remember my maternal grandmother recounting tales of the fateful day.  Of course, 73 lives being lost is a true disaster, but it could have been a lot worse.  There have been many worse incidents - both before and since - but the Silvertown explosion is one of those legendary occurrences (like the fire that destroyed the Crystal Palace, but that's another story) that have become indelibly etched into London's long and famous history.

Silvertown Explosion Memorial by Ulleskelf is licensed under CC BY NC ND 2.0