McNaughton Tubes

Discussion in 'Canadian' started by JohnS, May 12, 2016.

  1. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    A few months ago I was contacted via this website, and subsequently interviewed,by a reporter regarding a piece for BBC Radio on chemical explosives that were still left in the ground in south-east England since the Battle of Britain. These explosives are commonly referred to McNaughton Tubes or Canadian Pipe Bombs. The reporter wanted to know who the men were who put them in and why they didn’t take them out. Knowing the history of the Royal Canadian Engineers in World War II, I told her they were No. 1 Tunnelling Company, Royal Canadian Engineers and how this task came about. She was surprised to learn that the same men who installed them weren’t the ones who were tasked with taking them out and I don’t think that she believed me that the men who installed them weren’t responsible for them.

    Unfortunately, none of this made it to air because I was told that the preceding football game went long and cut the program short. A few months after it aired I heard the shortened broadcast of the program that went to air and I was not impressed. All the blame for these explosives still being in the ground since the early days of World War II, and under people’s houses, was put solely on the Royal Canadian Engineers. This finger pointing was done in an almost off-the-cuff manner. “They were de-mob crazy,” was the excuse that was offered by Rachel Wright on air. This is 100% false.

    After digging into this issue, here is my report:
    https://www.amazon.ca/MISPLACED-MCNAUGHTON-TUBES-WHO-BLAME-ebook/dp/B01FDT2UC8/
     
  2. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    If anyone can add anything please contact me.
     
  3. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Hello John

    To be honest there is a hell of a lot of WW2 ordnance still knocking about in the UK ,small arms ammo,grenades ,bombs of all sorts.
    A number of houses possibly built on sites of Uxbs

    regards
    Clive
     
  4. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    The device is one of the countless thousands of high explosives dropped across Europe by both sides during World War II.
    Bomb found in Germany
    Bombs are uncovered across Europe

    Exactly how many of these remain undiscovered is almost impossible to estimate, but the UK Government know the location of at least 100 beneath the homes, businesses and parks of London alone.

    When the whereabouts of these unexploded bombs (UXBs) was made public in 1996, the Ministry of Defence said it did not intend to make safe the explosives unless there was an indication they had become "unstable

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/719230.stm
     
  5. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    Thanks Clive.
     
  6. idler

    idler GeneralList

  7. JohnS

    JohnS Senior Member

    Interesting link. Thanks.
     

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