Vintage Treen Case Relating To Britain’s First Ever Military Use Of A Bomb Squad

A Superb British Military WW2 Folk Art Treen Case Relating To First Ever Use Of A Bomb Squad, With Local Yorkshire Interest. Engraved By Hand By, I should Imagine, A Member Of Said Bomb Squad Between 1940-1950. It Has The Artists Initials To The Lower Left Corner And Depicts A Soldier Carrying Out A Land Scan With A Bomb Detector. It Also Details The Areas In Which This Person Carried Out Their Work, Which Includes Pickering, Guisborough, Barncastle And Otley.

It was realised that a properly organised, disciplined bomb disposal force would be needed and on 2nd February 1940 the army formally took over the responsibility for Bomb Disposal in the UK.

The first authorised establishment for Bomb Disposal – Formation Order of May 1940 – created twenty five sections, each of a Lieutenant, a sergeant and fourteen other ranks.

By the end of June 1940 it came apparent that the twenty five BD sections already formed would in no way be able to cope with the expected deluge of bombs that would result from the withdrawal of our forces through Dunkirk and elsewhere. Another 109 BD sections were authorised.

In June, just 20 unexploded bombs were dealt with. This rose to 100 in July and up to 300 in August. By then over 2,000 bombs awaited their disposal. It says a lot for the officers and men involved and the speed with which they were organised in that 2,000 bombs were cleared in the first twenty days in the month of September but by now another 3,759 had to be dealt with. In the 287 days between 21st September 1940 and 5th July 1941, 24,108 bombs were made safe and removed.

Condition is good, commensurate with age and use. Structurally sound and functions well.

Measures 11cm x 7.2cm x 1.6cm

Weighs 46.35 grams