News
Rivenwood Bomb fragments donated to the NIWM
Some important pieces of Second World War history have been donated to the NIWM collection.
In August 2024, workmen discovered a large, unexploded bomb while working at the Rivenwood housing development in Newtownards, Co. Down. A team from 321 Explosive Ordnance Disposal & Search (EOD&S) Squadron of 11 EOD&S Regt RLC were quickly at the scene and reported that the large device had most probably been dropped during a raid by the German air force, the Luftwaffe, on 15 April 1941. Unfortunately, the high explosive device was embedded in rock and it was much too dangerous to try and defuse it or move it.
An exclusion zone of 400m was set up and residents from hundreds of nearby homes were advised that they needed to evacuate due to the "risk of death or serious injury". The plan was to safely detonate the bomb, causing as little damage as possible and engineers put in place a complex system of measures to decrease the impact of the blast, including hundreds of tons of sand.
After five days of careful preparation, a controlled explosion was carried out at 15:38pm by Ammunition Technical Officers on Tuesday 20 August. Thankfully, structural damage to nearby buildings was minimised.
Although not much of the bomb remained, NIWM submitted a request to the Ministry of Defence asking for whatever could be salvaged. In the end, three fragments of the bomb were retrieved and donated to the museum by the Operations Officer of 321 EOD&S Sqn, the EOD Operator who initially responded. Don Bigger, Chairman of NIWM, commented: “The events at Rivenwood last August caused considerable distress and anxiety to the local community and everyone was pleased that the team from 321 EOD&S did such a brilliant job. However, the links to the Belfast Blitz were not lost on anyone who is familiar with the devastating Luftwaffe raids in April-May 1941. We felt that the remains of this device were of particular significance as they may be the only examples of a piece of a high explosive bomb dropped during those four tragic nights which claimed the lives of almost 1,000 people. As such, they are historical artefacts that can help us to commemorate and reflect on those terrible losses almost 85 years ago.”
Gordon Lyons MLA, Minister for Communities, recently visited the museum to see the exhibit.
The Minister said: "So much of the Second World War still resonates in our society, but these fragments are a very real reminder that events from more than 80 years ago can have a tangible impact on today's world. I welcome this opportunity to see the fragments and the other fascinating artefacts on display at the Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum. I also want to commend the staff for the work they do to help modern audiences understand and appreciate the importance of this key period in our history."
