The History of Ruddington Depot
HomeThe StoryInterviewsPhotographsResources
Wartime Operations
Making cluster bombs
Cluster bombs were assembled in another shop. Lilian Slack observed the intricate process involved:
“These were about 20lbs in weight and were assembled on a trolley. Two operatives and an A.I.D. inspector were involved. A metal case would hold the bomblets and depending on the size, there would be about 14 or 20 in a case. There would be a jig and they used to put two bottom parts in the case and then the bomblets were laid. into there. They had a parachute at one end and a fuse at the other. The parachute had a wire through it, which had to go through the fuse. That was the dangerous stage. When the parachute was attached to the fuse they were not allowed to be moved again. They put the top two pieces on, and with two end plates and the metal structure that was a complete bomb cluster.
If the wire from the parachute didn’t connect with the fuse – you see the fuse had a cap on it – and when they laid it in the bomb with the parachute on then they had to take the cap off the fuse, but it could only be done while it was lying in the bomb. It couldn’t be touched again after that because it was live. If the wire wasn’t long enough and it slipped out of the fuse, being live, it was a case of evacuate the building, close it down, and then on a Sunday morning you’d get the bomb disposal team in. The experts would enter and operate through the skylight, removing the bomb. It was a very tricky business, and was done on a Sunday morning when there were no workers on the site."
The Story > Chapter 3 > Section 3.08