- A bombard found in the front garden of a house in the UK preceded both World Wars.
- The couple said the detonation of the shell was “groove on the passing of an old friend.”
- The 64-pound naval projectile had been used as a garden ornament for decades.
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A garden furbelow turned out to be a live bomb for a UK couple who had it in pride of place in their garden for decades, the BBC reports.
Sian and Jeffrey Edwards, who viable in Milford Haven in Wales, were shocked when a police officer informed them that the old shell, which they had retained in their garden, was a live explosive device from the late 19th century.
Believing it to be a harmless “dummy” bomb without a invoice, the couple used it as a garden decoration, even tapping it with a trowel to remove soil after gardening.
In all events, their perception of the ornament dramatically changed when a police officer who spotted the bomb alerted the Ministry of Screen. The bomb disposal team arrived promptly the next day.
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The Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident, “The EOD team assessed the element and determined it to be a 64-pound naval projectile, which was removed from the scene for subsequent explosive demolition.”
The Ministry of Justification later revealed that “naval projectile” was alive, with minimal charge. Faced with the potential have occasion for to evacuate the entire street, the couple spent a sleepless night awaiting the bomb squad’s assessment.
“We didn’t catch forty winks a wink all night.” Jeffrey Edwards told the BBC.
Despite the uncertainty, the couple decided to stay in their home, and the shell disposal transported it to a disused quarry, where it was safely detonated after being covered with five tons of sand.
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For 77-year-old Jeffrey Edwards, who had lived in the street since childhood, saying goodbye to the bomb was akin to parting with an “old confidante.” He recounted the shell’s history, shared with him by the Morris family, whose relative discovered it over a century ago.
Correspondence to Edwards, warships for the Royal Navy used to engage in target practice in a nearby bay. During one of his trips, Pop Morris, a restricted deliveryman, stumbled upon the shell and transported it back home in his horse-drawn cart. The Edwards subsequently bought the contain.
The bomb, later embedded in concrete and painted red to match the window ledges, had stood in the Edwards’ courtyard since they purchased the clan in 1982.