Powerful New Explosive

Northern Advocate, 27 September 1943, Page 2

Powerful New Explosive

(8.0. W.)

RUGBY, September 20

The Allied Nations are using a powerful explosive called “R.D.X.” As an explosive it is not new, as it was known in the early part of the century, but the difficulty has been to make it on anything like a useful scale.

Many chemists and scientists tried to solve the problem, but none succeeded until the British War Office did so just before the present war. Just over 20 years ago the Armament Research Department began experiments and after 16 years got within measurable distance of success. The final process of filling the shell was going forward when something went wrong. A group of men watching through mirrors from behind a blast wall saw what was happening and ran into the danger zone to correct it, but there was a tremendous explosion which killed five of them.

Progress made was not lost and as a result of experiments the Allies are nowable to produce in ever-growing quantities an explosive more powerful than T.N.T. “R.D.X.” is being made in Canada and the United States and in both countries great progress has been made which enables the explosive to be produced more simply and more cheaply than anyvffiere else.

All the United Nations will share in the benefits.