EOD Musson, William

John Robertson

Administrator
Staff member
  • SURNAME
Musson
  • FORENAME
William
  • UNIT
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
  • RANK
Major
  • NUMBER
397327​
  • AWARD
George Medal
  • PLACE
Aldershot, Hampshire, England 1963
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
London Gazette 43238, 4th February 1964, Page 1127
 

CITATION:

George Medal : At Aldershot on the 12th October 1963, Major Musson was called on to investigate the finding of a number of partially buried grenades on a grassy bank. Owing to the vicinity of married quarters and a railway, and because the extent of the cache was not known, it was necessary to make a detailed examination before demolition on the site could be effected. The grenades, known as Sticky Bombs and now obsolete, had no metal covers and were without any packaging. They were glass bottles holding nitre-glycerine. Some were leaking.

On the 13th October, Major Musson assisted by Conductor Brazier, using short wooden probes extracted twelve grenades most of which were embedded in the soil and stuck together. These they removed to a distance of some 160 yards, but the extent of the cache could still not be determined. On the 14th October they continued with their hazardous work wearing rubber gloves and using a paint brush because of the danger that even slight vibration might cause the exuded and highly sensitive nitro-glycerine to explode. During the day they found stuck together, some thirty-eight grenades three of which were cracked and leaking. Together they extracted and carried away eight of these. There being no means of separating the remaining thirty grenades careful preparations were made to destroy them where they lay.

Major Musson and Conductor Brazier were at work on their dangerous task for a total of nine hours.

The final demolition took place the following day and was accomplished with only minor damage to property.

For his courage and devotion to duty whilst personally supervising and directing the examination, removal and destruction of a number of grenades found on a grassy bank at Aldershot. These obsolete war-time relics, consisting essentially of nitroglycerine in glass bulbs, some of which were leaking, were in a highly dangerous condition.

WEB LINKS:

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/43238/supplement/1127

NATIONAL ARCHIVES:

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7623776
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