A PUDDLETOWN man is planning to write a book on one of the most tragic peacetime disasters to hit the county.

Rod Hughes is currently researching material on an explosion that took place at the Royal Navy Cordite Factory, in Holton Heath, in 1931.

On June 23 of that year, an explosion occurred in a nitroglycerin preparation chamber, killing 10 people and injuring 19.

Three buildings were destroyed and a storage tank was damaged, causing sulphuric acid to spill into the area. The explosion was heard 20 miles away with nearby houses suffering extensive damage from the blast.

The tragic incident made the front page of both the Dorset Daily Echo and Weymouth Dispatch. Mr Hughes, who was brought up in Hull, said his interest in the incident came about after moving to Dorset.

He said: “I moved down to Dorset 13 years ago because I married a local girl.

“I started delving around into the history of the area.

“I found out about the cordite factory through various sources. I didn’t know much about it.”

Mr Hughes said a lecture led by two former employees deepened his interest in the subject.

He said: “I became fascinated by the site and in the course of that lecture I heard about the explosion and there was just something about that struck a chord – something so tragic as that.”

Mr Hughes said the community was ‘very close-knit’ and the incident would have had a number of repercussions.

He said: “For days afterwards people were still in a state of shock.”

Mr Hughes added: “I want to get a hold of the official inquiry at the National Archives.

“I want to get a copy of that so I can see what the official explanation was.

“I know what happened from various sources.

“There was a degree of human error involved, although the inquiry didn’t blame anybody.

“I want to get as much testimony from people who know people who worked there at the time to get personal recollections of what happened.”

Anyone who can help Mr Hughes should call 01305 849039 or send an email to cayanneman@yahoo.co.uk.