Name/Title
Unexploded bomb detector c1940Entry/Object ID
645Description
Small cardboard box labelled "Unexploded Bomb Detector", containing a buff coloured metal holder with card discs and typed instructions for use. The rear of the instructions are date stamped "East Sussex Constabulary Seaford Police Station 27th December 1940"Use
To indicate whether an aerial bomb had exploded or notContext
In World War Two the police had a much increased role over their normal responsibilities and were largely responsible for co-ordinating many of the Air Raid Precaution or ARP activities. They were not only involved in helping to protect the public before and during bombing raids but also to help deal with the aftermath of them.
This is a very unusual object and according to the instructions it was intended to tell if a bomb had exploded or not. The box would have originally contained a phial of a chemical which was to be placed onto a card disc in the metal holder. The holder was then supposed to be lowered into the ground at the site of a bomb crater or the hole where a bomb was suspected to have entered the ground. After 5 minutes the holder was to be retrieved and if the card where the chemical had been placed had gone dark, then carbon monoxide had been detected. This was an indication that the bomb had exploded and the area was safe. If the card had not changed colour then no carbon monoxide was detected and it had to be assumed the bomb was live. The date stamp on the rear of the instructions identifies that this detector was issued to Seaford Police Station in East Sussex on 27th December 1940. The town was the subject of a number of air raids during the war, possibly due to its proximity to Newhaven, which was a very important port.