Bomb Sight - UXBs in London

[ChrisHunt]

An interesting website - bombsight.org - shows all observed unexploded bombs in the London area (generally within the M25) and gives brief details of each. Useful if considering digging any reasonably large and or deep holes in the ground. We recently uncovered White Phosphorous, which was the remains of an incendiary bomb that fell in the Cockfosters area of London. Things got quite exciting for a while!

[Airspeed]

Yes, Chris, quite interesting.
I bumped into it one night when I was trying to find a Norden bomb sight for the AFV museum!

[DogTailRed2]

Did the WP catch fire once exposed to the air?

Just recently several bombs (including a Cookie) have gone of in Germany.
I've never heard of a German bomb going off in the UK.
Are allied bombs more dangerous than German ones?

[DaveB]

From the condition of German mines we used to recover while I was in the mob.. I'd say that the materials they used were certainly of higher quality to ours and thereby lies the problem. While ours have mostly rotted to nothing by now.. the German ordnance is still rather more intact and dangerous

ATB
DaveB

[ChrisHunt]

Yes the WP ignited causing an amount of consternation and panic. I wasn't there but I read the reports after the event. It gave our Hazardous Materials Unit something other than asbestos to get their teeth into - I won't say they didn't enjoy the change! I was looking at the site yesterday as we've got some excavations shortly at Golders Green; definitely scope for bombs (x 2 HE) but unfortunately the information isn't as precise as we would like; still if anything goes clang!! when you're digging - best to stop I think.

[DogTailRed2]

I remember as a kid living in Southampton Way (South London) an old Victorian lamppost that had a large shrapnel hole in it.
Looking at the bomb map they really plastered Southwark. I wonder if they were after the factories and lime kilns that used to line the old Canal between
Walworth Road and Peckham?