One of the most tragic incidents in High Woods’ history occurred in 1931, when two men, Robert Edwards, and Frank Bareham both lost their lives. They were assembling fireworks at the Wells and Sons Firework Company site off of Turner Road, on what is now the Peto Avenue/Thornton Drive development.

Wells and Sons operated sites in Dartford and Colchester, where they built a number of separate ‘sheds’, spaced relatively far apart, and manned by a maximum of two men to mitigate the risk as far as possible.The map above shows the layout of the sheds, and the aerial photo below (taken above what is now the Hospital looking South East) shows them top right.

The incident was recorded by the East Anglian Daily Times in the following articles.

East Anglian Daily Times, Wednesday, September 9, 1931

About 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon, Colchester was startled by a loud explosion, which shook many parts of the town. The explosion occurred at Messrs. Wells and Son’s firework factory, and resulted in one employee being killed and another seriously injured. They were: Robert Edwards (25), of 53 Bergholt Road, Colchester (who died almost immediately); and Frank Charles Bareham (26), of West Bergholt.

The factory, which is situated in Turner Road (formerly known as Clay Lane) is in close proximity to the North Railway Station, and it comprises a colony of small wooden huts; it was in one of these –a hut used for the filling of fireworks – that the unfortunate men were working. They were the only occupants of the building, it being the custom at the works to confine the working of each hut to 2 employees.

Edwards, who is a single man was terribly burned and injured and he died almost immediately, while Bareham received severe and extensive burns. Prompt measures were taken to inform the borough police, and the Colchester motor ambulance, which quickly arrived, and Bareham was taken in it to the Essex County Colchester, where he lies in a serious condition.

Following the explosion, there was a column of smoke, and the hut, which was about 14 ft. square in dimension, was blown to pieces, parts of it being found as far as 80 yards away, while the explosion shattered many of the windows of other huts.

Over a large area the explosion was heard and felt. One resident in Bergholt Road told our Colchester reporter that he thought the roof of his house had been lifted off, while in the East end of
the town many windows were heavily shaken.

While it is difficult exactly to ascertain the cause of the explosion, it is thought to be due to a combination of heat and dampness.

East Anglian Daily Times, Thursday, September 10, 1931

Frank Charles Bareham (26), West Bergholt, who was seriously injured in the explosion that occurred at Messrs. Wells and Son’s firework factory, died in the Essex County Hospital last night.

Bareham, who, it will be recalled, was working with Robert Edwards (25), of Bergholt Road, in a small fireworks filling shed, where the explosion occurred. Edwards was killed instantly and Bareham received severe burns and injuries. The shed in which they were working was blown to pieces, and the windows of adjoining huts were shattered. The explosion was heard and felt over a wide area of the town. An inquest on both victims has been fixed for Friday evening.

A Wells and Sons building from a site in Kent.

Reference: All pictures and articles kindly provided by Richard Moulson.