Rossington Colliery, Doncaster: Testing Bombs

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The mine shaft at Rossington Colliery was used to test the flight of bombs during World War One. Rossington pit had only just opened when war broke out. A shaft was sunk in 1912, and coal was first brought to the surface in 1914. It was kept secret at the time, but during the summer of 1916 the pit was closed so dummy bombs could be dropped 2, 700 feet down. It was used to test the time lag of different bombs. Aerial bombardment was still in its infancy at the outbreak war. By its end the RAF had been formed, and Britain had dropped 660 tons of bombs, more than double that of Germany. Today the pit is closed and the old colliery land is being restored ready to be landscaped as an open space and a housing development. Location: Rossington Colliery, West End Lane, Doncaster, West Yorkshire DN11 0PZ Image: Rossington Colliery courtesy of The Rossington History Group Presented by Kate Linderholm