The Leicester Pioneer Press


My London Bomb Squad by C. Nevil Newitt 1940


Captain C. Nevil Newitt G.M. M.B.E. Edited by Ned Newitt Publication date: 1st October 2015
Lt C. Nevil Newitt, 24th October 1940 15 Bomb Disposal section outside their HQ at Brook Green Synagogue, Hammersmith in 1940 (click to enlarge)		This is an eye witness account of bomb disposal in London's West End. It brings to life the dangers that bomb disposal squads faced on a daily basis. It tells the story of the desperate struggle waged against the deadly threat posed by unexploded bombs. It was written by Nevil Newitt in the late 1950s and has never been published. Capt. Newitt was in charge of No 15 Bomb Disposal Squad and dealt with 347 unexploded bombs in residential streets as well the Houses of Parliament, the National Gallery and Buckingham Palace. It was a hazardous business and his heroism won him the George Medal. Lucky Escapes In 1940, Lt Newitt had several narrow escapes when bombs he was working on blew up. In August, after working all day on their first bomb, his squad had just knocked off for an evening meal when the bomb exploded. His second escape was in Regent Street when a bomb exploded whilst it was having its explosive filling removed by the new steaming out machine. Soon after, Lt Newitt and Sergeant Pegg extracted a (17) delayed action fuze with an attached booby trap Zuss 40 fuze. Luckily the booby trap had a defect and did not set the bomb off. A fourth lucky escape was in October 1940, when a 250kg bomb at the National Gallery blew up during a tea break. Lastly, a bomb taken from the Pall Mall home of Princesses Helena Victoria and Marie Louise (granddaughters of Queen Victoria) by lorry exploded a few minutes after arriving at the demolition site. No Giant Time Bomb at St Paul's The book 'explodes' (sorry) the myth that in September 1940, St Paul's Cathedral was threatened by a 'giant time bomb.' Although there was a very real bomb, it was not a giant and it was not ticking. The evidence for this is provided a letter from the sergeant in charge of the St Paul's job. According to Nevil the bomb was 'as safe as a sack of potatoes.'
King George and Queen Elizabeth inspect the damage after a delayed action bomb had exploded at Buckingham Palace. Lt Newitt at work on an UXB. Lt Newitt with 15 bomb disposal squad removing the unexploded parachute mine from Hungerford Bridge, (London Fire Brigade) The deadly (17) delayed action fuze. It was fitted with a booby trap to stop it being removed from the bomb.		Buckingham Palace, 9th September 1940 Ironically, Nevil reveals that a few days earlier, the army top brass had refused to believe that there really was an unexploded time bomb at Buckingham Palace. But for the insistence of a sergeant in Nevil's squad, King George and Queen Elizabeth would have been at the Palace when it exploded. Regent Street bomb explodes, 11th September 1940 Footage (below) of the bomb damage to Regent Street. This followed the first attempt to steam explosive out of a bomb with a device designed by Arthur Merriman. This was done as the bomb as ticking. It earned Dr. Merriman the George Cross and was another one of the citations for Nevil Newitt's George Medal Hungerford Bridge - Charing Cross - 17th April 1941 For six hours Lt Ernest tGiddens RN and Lt Nevil Newitt worked on a ticking parachute mine which threatened to blow up Hungerford Bridge. The mine was eventually made safe and Lt Giddens received the George Cross for his bravery. Huge UXB transported through deserted London Streets After about 30 seconds, this Pathe footage (below) shows a deserted Piccadilly Circus. This was prior to Lt Newitt and his squad had dug down to a 1000kg unexploded bomb in Shaftesbury Avenue. The bomb threatened vital communications and had to be removed at all costs. It was lifted from the ground and taken to a bomb dump hanging from the back of a lorry.
ISBN 978-0-9552825-1-5		Paperback 100pp 69 monochrome & 26 colour illustrations 234mm x 156mm Price Ł9.95 Buy from Amazon Leicester Pioneer Press books can be ordered direct from: Leicester Pioneer Press 16, Ashfield Road Leicester LE2 1LA UK



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