Thread: Unexploded Bombs

I live on the South Coast of England (Sussex), and even now, over 60 years later, they still dig up the occasional bomb on the beaches - I think it was the German bombers dropping their remaining bombs on the turn for home.
Earlier this year someone walked in to the local police station with an unexploded shell under their arm

Originally Posted by dfisher

Earlier this year someone walked in to the local police station with an unexploded shell under their arm

Must be a real nutter, imagine what he would have got for it on ebay

On a different note, i wonder what the desk sergeant thought when he saw this placed on his desk.

There are still many people today who would be down on the same beach digging for the bombs unexploded or not, we are called idiots by the normal people of Britain..

Originally Posted by Jim

There are still many people today who would be down on the same beach digging for the bombs unexploded or not, we are called idiots by the normal people of Britain..

And what would you do if you found one Jim? Police station, or Ebay?

I guess you are providing a kind of public service, should be getting danger money from the Govt & support from Heather Mills-MacCartney & the DIana foundation - especially if you actually find one

Originally Posted by dfisher

And what would you do if you found one Jim? Police station, or Ebay?

lol, it would be out with the Brasso, and definitely not for sale.. :tong:

You mean keep it at home? It would certainly be a talking point when friends come round, but try not to drop it when you are cleaning round the house

It's really funny to look for unexploded bombs of 1940s.When such items comes in the news,it becomes a breaking news & take the attention of publics.It mustn't be so publicised.

Unexploded ordnance can still be found lying around in many parts of the country, whether it’s wartime or modern stuff.

Many of the less populated areas such as the mountains, sand dunes, beaches and moors were used as military training areas well into the 1960s.

One such area was the Candleston Dunes, just along the coast to the east of Porthcawl in South Wales.
Back in the mid 1980s a group of ATC cadets from 2117 squadron were on an adventure training weekend when at some time on the Saturday afternoon one young cadet reported to the officer in charge with “Please Sir, We’ve found a bomb”.

Well, what do you do? Run around like a headless chicken? Not these cadets.

First move, report the find to the local police, who didn’t believe it.
Next move, report it again to the police, this time using the 999 line, thinking now they must respond.
Return to the location of the find and establish a hundred metre no-go cordon around the device and a quarter mile advisory cordon around that; after all the dunes are a popular place for walkers.

Eventually a policeman turned up and very gingerly moved towards the device, took one look and withdrew stating “Yep, it’s a bomb” and reported his findings to the local police headquarters. Only then did the wheels kick into action.

Loads more policemen turned up, including a chief inspector, but more of him later.
The police then called the bomb-squad, actually an army bomb disposal unit from the closest army camp … Hereford. (Now, I wonder what goes on there?)

Anyway, after a few hours two guys with long hair, jeans and a totally un-army demeanour turned up and they refused to talk to the police chief inspector, preferring to gain all the necessary information from the cadets who actually found the device.

It was identified as a 4 inch trench mortar and they made the decision to destroy it in-situ with a controlled explosion. They even took photographs of the “bomb” with the cameras belonging to some of the cadets and then when everything was ready they even gave the cadets a count down so that they could take their own pictures of the bang.

By now the chief inspector was writing up his report in his pocket book and he asked the two army guys for their names, ranks and unit, just for the record. His request at first fell on deaf ears and after repeating his request a couple of times he was told in some kind off army language to remove himself.

The rest of the afternoon was spent collecting bits of shrapnel and ended with the two army guys regaling the cadets with tales of daring-do over copious quantities of camp fire tea.

When the press found out and it was reported in the Air Cadets own newspaper, the hierarchy of the ATC was so pleased with the actions taken and the publicity that all previous squadron misdemeanours, of which there were one or two were forgiven and the unofficial squadron orders for the following year was “Find another bomb”.

Once again Brian you come up with a story that you make us want to read, by the way you tell it ... Thanks for that ...

It actually took me back a number of years when i served also in the ATC, and the numerous weekends away camping in woods doing exercises and enacting war scenes, oh what great memories ....

“Find another bomb”

Wouldn't be said today. H&S gone mad lol.