Fact file: 33 Engineer Regiment

Fact file: 33 Engineer Regiment

The 33 Engineer Regiment Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit has been performing its dangerous task since the days of World War II - dealing with unexploded bombs and munitions.

In 1940, when Britain was being pounded by the German Luftwaffe, the country had to deal with a growing menace from unexploded ordnance.

The idea of a 'bomb disposal' unit had emerged after the Spanish Civil War in 1938, the first time bombers had been used to indiscriminately target towns and cities.

In November 1939, after hostilities had started, British units were formed. They were made up of an NCO and two 'sappers', carried in vans, and equipped with sandbags, spades and picks.

Dealing with the dud bombs was a fledgling art. When the unit formed it was with these basic tools and much of their techniques had to be learned on the job.

There was little information on the type of fuses the Germans would use in their bombs. Much of the early training was guesswork.

2000 bombs

In May 1940, just before the German invasion westwards, the unit was reorganised.

Fifteen-man teams were set up for 109 sections across the country, most of them in towns and cities.

When the Germans began massive aerial bombardment of Britain in the summer of 1940 the units were suddenly deluged with work.

They had to deal with more than 2000 unexploded bombs - or UXBs as they became known - by the end of August of that year.

Blowing up enemy minefields is one of the unit's tasks

It was only the start of the new unit's war. From 1939 and 1945, the bomb squads deactivated 45,441 bombs, 6,983 anti-aircraft shells and about 300,000 beach mines.

But it was at a price. They lost 389 men during the six years of the war. Another 13 were awarded the George Cross - one of the highest British citations.

Early techniques were hardly sophisticated. Bombs were often dragged up on to timber supports, and they could often explode if handled carelessly.

Early in the war German bombs were often blown up in controlled explosions.

Booby traps

As the war continued the unit built up a valuable pool of knowledge about bombs and their fuses.

But the bomb disposal groups had to contend with booby traps - the Germans designed some of their bombs to explode if their detonation fuses were removed.

New techniques, such as freezing fuses have been learned since.

After the war the unit deactivated many thousands of mines on the British coastline that had been placed to prevent German landings.

The unit then saw action in the Korean War and the campaign in Malaya, as well as the Falklands and the Balkans in recent years.

Their combat mission has evolved to taking care of unexploded weaponry on the battlefield, and in particular dealing with minefields.

The unit is now based at the Carver Barracks, Wimbish, in Essex.

It is organised into three field squadrons, a headquarters squadron and a support squadron.

In the last year the units have served in Kosovo, Kenya, Canada, Australia, Cyprus and Sierra Leone.