A SECRET weapon built in Leytonstone has been recreated to mark the anniversary of the D-Day landings.

The Great Panjandrum was made up of a giant drum powered by rockets which contained a ton of explosives.

It was developed to blast through the Nazi's Normandy defences, but was never used in battle after unsuccesful testing.

The bomb was made at a secret Leytonstone location before being taken to Devon to be tested because the county's beaches resembled northern France, where the D-Day landings took place.

The prototype nearly killed a group of dignitatries who had gathered on Westward Ho! beach in Devon to watch the trails in 1944.

It veered off course, causing VIPs to scatter to higher ground. A cameraman filming the test had a lucky escape as the bomb rolled towards him, rockets firing around him.

The workers from fireworks company Skyburst have created a replica, which was today (Friday) set off at 7.30am on the Devon beach where it was orginially tested.

Skyburst's display director, Leigh Pittaway, said: "It was exciting. We arrange all kinds of fire work events from the Shetlands to Land's End. We all love to blow things up in a controlled environment of course."

He admitted this was the first time Skyburst had been involved in the recreation of a wartime weapon but the Bristol-based company had put fireworks round a model skeleton before.

It took two days for the pyrotechnicians to contstruct the two 10ft diameter steel wheels and to attach the dozens of rockets to 2m diameter replica made from a cable drum.

At top speed it managed 12 or 13 miles per hour and fire off hundreds of rockets before hundreds of onlookers who had gathered at the beach.

The weapon, which leater featured in an episode of BBC comedy Dad's Army, was invented by Neville Shute Norway, who later became a best selling novalist but was a naval lieutenant when he created his Catherine Wheel and worked with Barnes Wallis, designer of the bouncing bomb.

The Great Panjandrum was built to launch the Appledore Book Festival 2009 brochure as well as commemorating the 65th anniversary of D-Day on Saturday, June 6.

•Do you know where the secret location where the Great Panjandrum was made? Did you help build it? Call Jonathan Moyes on 8498 3478 or email him at jmoyes@london.newsquest.co.uk