Why the US Army had base at Fauld

FAULD mines were used by the RAF for ammunition storage from 1938 until 1966, when No 21 Maintenance Unit (21 MU) was disbanded.

Following France’s withdrawal from NATO’s integrated military structure in 1966, the site was used by the US Army, between 1967 and 1973, to store US ammunition previously stored in France.

British Gypsum has donated £10,000 as part of its 100-year celebrations.

British Gypsum’s Fauld Mine manager Jim Daykin said: “It’s great for Fauld Mine that our British Gypsum 100-year celebration legacy fund can be used to support this unique project at Tutbury Church.

“Making a substantial donation to the cost of conserving the alabaster arch is an excellent opportunity for British Gypsum to contribute to a scheme of historical importance. Not only that, but the links between the project and Fauld Mine are also significant.

“Alabaster is a form of gypsum and there’s a very good chance that the material used originally in the church originated from the site of our current Fauld Mine.

“The arch at the heart of this project is made of 30 alabaster blocks: the earliest example of English alabaster carving and the only instance of its use in an external arch in the country.

“Alabaster from Fauld Mine has been exported all over the world, mainly for the carving of religious monuments. Although British Gypsum no longer supplies dimensional blocks of alabaster, a block was mined in 2015 for a new altar installed at Leicester Cathedral to coincide with the reinternment of King Richard III.

“The team at Fauld Mine is delighted that our company’s special centenary £10,000 fund is enabling this important historical project to go ahead.”