1st Line Defence have recently completed a UXO Watching Brief for one of our clients on a site located in the Isle of Wight.
Historical evidence from the Detailed UXO Risk Assessment which was commissioned indicated that the site was situated within an area that was previously used as an ‘Armament Training Area’ during WWII.
Sources including the Commando Veterans Archive, Parish Council records and Canadian 39th Combat Engineer Regiment Museum, suggested that the training area was highly active during the war, and was used by several military units that were temporarily stationed on the Isle of Wight before being redeployed to front-line theatres.
One of the uses of the area was for constructing dummy defensive positions and carrying out practice firing exercises and drills. These exercises are recorded to have included the use of tracer rounds, No. 36 Mills grenades and smoke grenades.
It was also found that post-war, several Army explosive ordnance clearance (EOC) tasks were undertaken in the area. Due to the large number of UXO finds resulting from these tasks, and its location within a historically active WWII exercise and firing training area – the site was assigned a ‘Medium-High’ Risk of UXO contamination.
1st Line Defence was asked to provide assistance with archaeological investigations to support the clients planning conditions. Our recommendation to the client was that during these investigations – particularly in areas which have not been subject to any post-war development – they should be supported by a UXO Specialist.
During one phase of groundworks, our UXO Specialist found a suspicious object and all ground operations were halted whilst the item was inspected. The item was identified by 1st Line Defence as a live 2-inch mortar, a cordon was set up around the item, and the police and authorities were informed.
‘Live’ 2-inch mortar (with a tape measure for scale) discovered by 1st Line Defence Specialists in the Isle of Wight.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) representative who visited the site confirmed the item was live, and although it was degraded – it still had the potential to harm and cause serious injury – and the item was safely disposed of on-site.
Fortunately, no other suspicious items were discovered during the final stage of groundworks, and the works were completed safely.
Watch a video of the detonation
Video showing the detonation of a 2-inch Mortar discovered by 1st Line Defence in the Isle of Wight.
Do you need to get your project assessed for UXO risk?
If you want to get your project assessed for UXO or general advice about our risk mitigation services, contact us on +44 (0) 1992 245020 or info@1stlinedefence.co.uk for more information.
