Episode 218: The Chilwell munitions factory explosion

Disaster Area

On a hot summer day in 1918, the night shift workers at the National Shell Filling Factory No. 6 in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire, England, arrived as per usual. One hundred and thirty-four of them would be dead within an hour and a half.

Videos:

• Nottingham Forgotten Heroes #9 The Chilwell Munitions Workers
• The History Chap: The Chilwell Munitions Factory Explosion

Articles and books:

• A History of the First World War in 100 Moments: When corpses fell from the Nottinghamshire sky
• Historic England Research Records: National Filling Factory Number 6 Chilwell
• Remembering the Chilwell Depot Explosion of 1918 and the Canary Girls, by Marian Dean
• Chilwell explosion: Events mark centenary of factory blast
• University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections: Chilwell Shell Filling Factory Explosion
• Footage of Chilwell shell factory found in shed seen for the first time in 100 years
• Revenge of the Curds: Remembering the Great Nottingham Cheese Riot of 1766
• The History Press: Disaster at the Chilwell shell-filling factory
• Nottingham County Council: Chilwell National Shell Filling Factory Explosion