In the United Kingdom nuclear weapons development, acquisition and deployment now occurs entirely within the organisational structure of the Ministry of Defense (MoD). The organisation within the MoD responsible for the development, manufacture, and servicing of nuclear weapons is the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), which is under the authority of the Procurement Executive of the MoD. The AWE came into existence on 1 September 1987 through the merger of the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE) at Aldermaston, and the Directorate of Atomic Weapons Factories (aka the Royal Ordnance Factories, or ROF) at Burghfield and Cardiff. Prior to its transfer to the MoD in 1973, the AWRE had been under the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority since 1954.
AWE Foulness
The former Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, Foulness, is located on the north shore of the Thames Estuary, 9km (5½ miles) north-east of Southend-on-Sea, centered at TQ 98 91. It is amongst a handful of sites in England associated with the development of nuclear weapons and investigations into their effects. Internationally, such sites are rare, especially those associated with the pioneering stages of this technology. The site’s history spans the full duration of the Cold War and research was undertaken within the establishment on all Britain’s service nuclear weapons. A notable feature of the range is the building specially constructed for the assembly of Britain’s first atomic device which was successfully detonated at Monte Bello, Australia in October 1952. Shoeburyness range is an active military test area and there is no public access.
Basic High Explosives Research
On 8 January 1947, within the Attlee government a small secret cabinet committee, known as Gen 163, took the decision that Britain should proceed with the development of the atomic bomb (Hennessy 2003, 44-49). The team put in charge of developing Britain’s atomic bomb was led by William Penney, Chief Superintendent Armaments Research (CSAR), a physicist and a leading member of the wartime British Mission to the United States Manhattan Project that was responsible for creating the first atomic bombs. Penney had played a prominent role in the project, in addition to his scientific contributions, he also sat on the Target Committee, which discussed which Japanese cities should be attacked, and flew with the mission that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki to film its results (Norris et al 1994, 19). It wasn’t until May 1947 that Penney was appointed to lead the British bomb project, responsibility for which was given to a specially created division of the ARD. To disguise its real function it was called Basic High Explosive Research (BHER), its title usually abbreviated to HER, which functioned as a secretive and autonomous section of the larger organisation. Initially, the team comprised 34 ARD scientists, a figure that quickly grew to a few hundred. Initially, its main activities were split between Fort Halstead, Kent and the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. During June 1947 this team drew up the development plan for the production of a British atomic bomb. It was during this initial planning period that the new Shelford Range was transferred to the High Explosives Research (HER) project. Following the handover the development of the range became more urgent and extensive than previously envisaged.
The Hurricane Test 1952
In 1952, the new establishment on Foulness Island played a central role in Britain’s first atomic bomb tests, codenamed Hurricane. In late May or early June, the components for the bombs were brought together for assembly at Foulness from the principal manufacturers: the Royal Ordnance Factory at Chorley in Lancashire, Fort Halstead and Chatham Dockyard in Kent, the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, and the Percival Aircraft Company, Luton. Ernest Mott and George Gallie from Woolwich led the assembly team, which included H S Weeks and a group of technicians, including Mr Hessen who was in charge of metrology (Cathcart 1994, 182, TNA: PRO ES1/331, Pyne 2006). The building used for the assembly work was the Explosives Preparations Laboratory, Building No.23 (now X6) (Figure 5), a building that had been the subject to last-minute modifications in November 1947 after the initial design drawings had been prepared (Cathcart 1994, 182-3, pers. comm. R Crump). In the lead-up to the tests assembly work was practiced on the inert device, Alfred. These preparations culminated in the summer of 1952 in the assembly of the high explosive elements for the Hurricane test that resulted in the successful detonation of Britain’s first atomic device. Recent research has revealed that up to three live devices, Hero, Hengist and Horsa, were prepared (Pyne 2006), the latter two named after two semi-legendary early 5th century Jutish warrior brothers, who along with their war band were invited to defend Kent from the Germanic tribes.
On Thursday 5 June 1952 one or more of the devices were taken by lorry to Shoeburyness and then by barge to a war surplus river class frigate HMS Plym moored at Stangate Creek, Sheerness, Kent. HMS Plym was then escorted by the trials flagship HMS Campania on her eight week voyage to the test site, the Monte Bello Islands, off the northwest coast of Australia. After their arrival a further eight weeks were spent erecting the structures and equipment that were to be subjected to the full force of the device and preparing the firing circuits and monitoring equipment. The fissile core for the device to be used in the trial was flown to Australia by Sunderland flying boat - it arrived on 18 September. A device was successfully detonated on Friday 3 October 1952 producing an estimated yield of 25 kilotons, 4 kilotons greater than the similar bomb Figure 5: Explosives Preparation Laboratory X6, was 23, late in 1947 Superintendent Roy Pilgrim respecified the design of this building for its role in the atomic bomb project. In 1952, the United Kingdom's first live atomic device was assembled in this building.
The range at Foulness was also used to develop the monitoring instruments and to train the personnel who would operate them during the overseas tests. Preparations undertaken included the detonation of an 8,000lbs (3629kg) charge on Shoeburyness range to test photographic equipment and the co-ordination of the observation teams. The signal to detonate the device was to be sent by cable, while data from the various observation points would be carried back to the control centre by state-of-the-art radio equipment. To practice the test routines firing signals were sent about 6 miles (10km) from Shoeburyness to the Plym, moored at Stangate Creek, Sheerness, Kent.
As the date of the test approached more elaborate tests were conducted to synchronise the firing signal with the monitoring equipment, some involving the firing of a 64lbs (29kg) charge at Foulness (Cathcart 1994, 175-6). In the early 1950s, one of the major concerns amongst defence planners was that the Soviet Union might try to deliver an atomic bomb in the hold of a ship. If detonated in a port or estuary the resulting tidal wave would greatly increase the area of devastation. One of the reasons that it had been decided to carry Britain’s first nuclear device on board the Plym was to study the effects of detonating a nuclear weapon at sea. Closer to home to address this danger, 7km (4¼ miles) to the southwest of the AWRE range a boom was constructed at Pig’s Bay to link the Essex shore to Kent, and thereby restrict movement into the Thames Estuary. The boom is a Scheduled Monument (35502)
Experiments using radioactive and other hazardous substances
In common with other historic industrial and military sites former activities at AWE Foulness may have resulted in the contamination of the land and its buildings. Examples may include fuel and oil spillages around vehicle maintenance areas, traces of explosive residuals left in process buildings and firing areas, and asbestos building materials. In addition to these hazards that might be expected in former defence sites of this date, given the specialised nature of the research carried out at AWE Foulness other less predictable contaminants might also be found.
Periodically the question of carrying out experiments using radioactive materials was raised and in the early years it is clear that some tests were undertaken. In April 1950, the Admiralty Radiological Protection Panel carried out some trials using a shielded cobalt source to establish field laws (TNA: PRO ES1/330). Cobalt is a radioactive source with a short half life. An internal document written in the early 1950s admitted that ‘some contamination has taken place’, although its nature was not specified (TNA: PRO ES1/331). In response to the disclosure of the link between Foulness and Aldermaston revealed in 1954 (see above) scope for further experiments using radioactive material were severely limited by the Lord President’s statement ‘that no nuclear explosions have been or will be made, nor will experiments be made into fission products or any other hazardous radioactive material’ (Hansard, 7 April 1954).
This assurance reinforced the necessity of establishing a permanent proving ground at Maralinga in Australia. Here in the late 1950s and early 1960s hundreds of small trials concerned with weapons designs, and the testing of components and buildings were carried out, known as Kittens, Rats, Tims and Vixens. The Vixen series were concerned with weapons safety and the Kittens, Rats and Tims trials were designed to investigate explosive initiators and weapons assemblies. The latter tests used various hazardous substances, such as, beryllium, plutonium, polonium and uranium (Arnold and Smith 2006, 215-34). In 1964, the question of firing large high explosive assemblies containing uranium and/or thorium at Foulness was raised. By this date not only was there the Lord President’s assurance to be acknowledged, but also the recently signed Partial Test Ban Treaty that prohibited atmospheric nuclear testing.
After consideration by a number of government departments it was determined that uranium was not a hazardous material and that its firing would not breach the treaty. The Foreign Secretary, however, was of the view that the experiments should not take place as it would weaken the Government’s international negotiating position. With the approach of a general election he was also concerned about the political repercussions of a potentially contentious testing programme. It appears that this advice was followed; nevertheless, the question of firing devices containing uranium was again raised in 1972, in regard to the development of the United Kingdom version of the United States XW-58 warhead used in the Polaris missile (Norris et al 1994, 49; TNA: PRO FCO 66/371). Again political opposition was voiced: both in regards to possible objections at home and also in relation to possibly comprising the protests the government was making about French nuclear tests in the Pacific. Additionally, by the end of 1972 there were indications that experiments within the closed bomb chambers at Aldermaston, probably using slightly smaller explosive charges, were producing the experimental data that was required (TNA: PRO FCO66/3 71).
Read the full English Heritage Report here - http://www.bobleroi.co.uk/ScrapBook/RSFortsSailing2015/TheAtomicWeaponsEstablishmentFoulnessEssex-ColdWarResearch.pdf
National Archives
Within the National Archives there are many documents produced by AWRE Foulness. Many of the reports are concerned with laboratory experimental processes, and these have not been deposited. Records concerning the management of the site produced by the Foulness senior staff are also in this series.
All have been restricted stating:
What did take place at Foulness?
One Document - ES 17/14 - "Historical papers on Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment (RARDE) Potton Island and on its amalgamation with Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE) Foulness" is closed for 80 years!
It is stated that no nuclear explosions took place, but how much testing was undertaken with radioactive material, one such document - ES 17/5 is entitled "Firing of experimental assemblies containing beryllium at Foulness: safety of employees and local population; environmental monitoring programme" but again has been closed whilst access is under review.
Beryllium is a metal that can be very harmful when humans breathe it in because it can damage the lungs and cause pneumonia. The most commonly known effect of beryllium is called berylliosis, a dangerous and persistent lung disorder that can also damage other organs, such as the heart. The uptake of beryllium has consequences mainly for human health. However, laboratory tests have indicated that it is possible for beryllium to cause cancer and changes of DNA with animals.
Comments