A museum celebrated 80 years since the first use of life-saving bomb disposal techniques.

The Royal Engineers Museum in Gillingham hosted an activity day to celebrate the ground-breaking feat.

The museum, on Prince Arthur Road, is Kent's largest military museum.

In September 1939 the Royal Engineers provided temporary bomb disposal teams until the Home Office could recruit and train special Air Raid Precaution (ARP) forces to carry out bomb detection.

In the first reported case of a bomb disposal by the Royal Engineers, a non-commissioned officer (NCO) and two sappers had to dig down to bombs that had dropped in Sheppey and blow them were they were found.

The event celebrated how technology has evolved since the first operation and the importance of the Royal Engineer's Bomb Disposal Unit.

Last Saturday saw search dog displays and explosive ordnance disposal robot demonstrations led by members of the REA Bomb Disposal branch, as well as themed talks.

Throughout the day mine detection search lanes, where children could try their hand at detecting a fake mine, were also on offer.

Marketing assistant for the museum Hannah Waller-Davies said: "The event saw plenty of action as the Museum opened its doors for Bomb Disposal 80, an event that focussed on 80 years of Royal Engineers bomb

disposal work.

"101 Engineer Regiment were also on hand with mine detection gear for visitors to try out, and re-enactors from the 25th Bomb Disposal Company demonstrated how the butterfly bombs of the Blitz were defused."

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