Grandson Was Helping Grandma Clean Out Her Garage. Then He Found WWI Explosive Shells, and the Bomb Squad Was Called

"It was quite funny to be honest — me and my nan were just holding them in the garden," George Cheetham said of the devices

NEED TO KNOW

• George Cheetham was cleaning out his grandmother’s garage when he found World War I explosive shells that “still had tops on”
• The pair reported the discovery to the police, and a bomb squad was called in to safely detonate the devices in a nearby field
• “It was quite funny to be honest — me and my nan were just holding them in the garden,” George said of the shells

George Cheetham was helping his grandmother, Pam Heritage, clear out her garage ahead of a move when he made a shocking discovery.

The 26-year-old was sorting through his late grandfather John Heritage's old belongings at the home near Southampton, England, on May 16 when he came across two anti-aircraft shells dated 1916 that "still had tops on," per Kennedy News and Media.

"It's mainly my grandad's stuff that's in [the garage]," George said. "He passed away last year, but he was a hoarder so we need to get the garage cleared."

"I came across [the shells] and I pulled them out," he continued, "and they still had the tops on and were really heavy, so me and my nan were like, 'S—.' "

After picking up the 2-lb. shells, George and Pam called Hampshire Police to get them checked out, as they were worried they would suddenly detonate in the yard.

Officers arrived at the home and examined and photographed the shells. Then, they called in the British Army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad, who X-rayed the devices.

After discovering that they were live, the shells were carefully carried to a nearby field where they were "safely disposed of by explosive demolition."

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The shells are believed to have belonged to George's great-grandfather, who served in the navy in World War I.

"I remember him passing me some shells when I was younger, but that was 20-something years ago," George said of his grandfather John. "We had all forgotten about them for like 20 years, and Grandad probably forgot about them, too. On the bottom of the shells, they're dated. One was '3rd of July 16,' and then the other one said '1916' on it."

George admitted that he was "quite gutted" that the shells were detonated because he would have liked to keep the historical items. "But it's better getting rid of them than your nan getting blown up," he said.

"It was quite funny to be honest — me and my nan were just holding them in the garden," he added of finding the shells. "She found it funny."

A spokesperson for the British Army said, "We can confirm that an Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from 721 Sqn, 11 EOD&S Regiment RLC, responded on May 16 following a request from Hampshire Constabulary. The EOD Operator identified two 2lb anti-aircraft rounds from WW1, which were safely disposed of by explosive demolition."

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