Bomb, 1650 lb, SN, wooden tail fuse cone

Wooden tail fuse cone for a British 1650 lb bomb.

This relic consists of a turned piece of timber with a diameter approximately 225 mm wide and height of 110 mm. The base of the cone shows extreme signs of deterioration. A hole of approximately 70 mm diameter runs through the centre of the cone. It is evident the cone had three square holes morticed into the sides near the base (holes at the 12 o'clock, 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions.

The type of 1650 lb bomb to which this relic relates did not appear on deployment until very late in 1918. It was carried by Handley Page Type O/400 bombers and this aircraft type entered service during April 1918. This heavy bomb was the largest bomb dropped during the First World War and was used for strategic bombing under the control of the Independent Air Force.

The 1650 lb bomb was first dropped by 214 Squadron, RAF on the night of 24/25th July 1918. The aircraft that dropped the bomb was a Handley Page 0/400 piloted by Sergeant L.A. Dell and the target attacked was Middelkerque. The following account of the effect of the raid has been extracted from the records of the 5th Group, Dover Patrol: ". ..[The bomb] functioned successfully and all the lights in the town immediately went out and Anti Aircraft fire (which had been intense) stopped and was not renewed although a subsequent photograph showed that the bomb had dropped in a field about half a mile east of the town. The crater caused by the bomb had a diameter of over 50 feet and the spread of earth displaced covered an area over 100 yards in diameter."