Episode 218: The Chilwell munitions factory explosion
Disaster Area
Disaster Area
4.2 • 839 Ratings
🗓️ 1 August 2023
⏱️ 97 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello everybody, this is Jennifer Matarise. And before I get started with the episode, I would just like to take care of the usual housekeeping. |
| 0:07.0 | Now, as I've already mentioned in previous episodes, I've put paid requests on hold for the time being. |
| 0:12.0 | When I get through my backlog, I will start up all over again. Until then, I'll be working through that list with the occasional episode of my choice. |
| 0:19.0 | The subject from this particular episode was chosen by someone whose name I cannot locate |
| 0:23.3 | at the moment, but I'd like to thank them for the request and for the donation. |
| 0:27.2 | I'd also like to thank Rick and Kate, who did a lot of the research for this episode, |
| 0:31.3 | and thank you so much. |
| 0:32.9 | It was very helpful. |
| 0:34.6 | In particular, the book, or pamphlet, I believe, remembering the 1918 |
| 0:40.6 | Chillwell Munitions Factory Depot Explosion and the Canary Girls. It's something along those |
| 0:48.6 | lines. You can find it in the episode notes, but it was really helpful, and I wouldn't have |
| 0:53.6 | been able to get a hell of it |
| 0:55.2 | any other way, so thank you so much. Now, if you'd still like to help support the podcast in |
| 1:00.0 | another way, you can do so with a one-time donation through PayPal at Disasterarea atmail.com, |
| 1:05.5 | on Venmo at Disaster Area Podcast, on Cash app at Disaster Area Pod or on a per episode basis through |
| 1:12.6 | Patreon at www.com slash disaster area podcast. A per episode donation of even as little as a dollar |
| 1:20.9 | an episode can help me do things like pay the rent, keep the lights on, get treats for the dog, |
| 1:27.1 | so hopefully he will not bark during this episode, |
| 1:29.9 | even though he has had the zoomies all night long. If you do join the Patreon, you will get |
| 1:36.1 | new episodes ad-free as soon as I record them rather than waiting until they are released. |
| 1:40.9 | Also, occasionally I do some kind of fun things. I'm planning to do one this week, |
| 1:47.2 | so hopefully I'll be able to get that out, and that'll be something that won't go out on the |
... |
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