Couple’s Century-Old ‘Garden Ornament’ Turns Out to be Live Naval Bomb

A Welsh couple was recently shocked to discover that a decorative garden shell they had long kept as a beloved ornament was actually a live 19th century naval bomb, which authorities safely detonated last week.

Sian and Jeffrey Edwards had always cherished the old shell as a harmless keepsake ever since moving into their Milford Haven home in 1982. But when a police officer spotted the object last Wednesday and alerted the Ministry of Defence, the couple soon realized the hard way that their decorative “dud” was a still-active explosive dating back over a hundred years.

Contents hide

1. Sleepless Night Awaiting Bomb Squad

2. 64-Pound Naval Bomb Transported and Destroyed

3. Sea Mine Discovered by Lemonade Man Over a Century Ago

Sleepless Night Awaiting Bomb Squad

“We didn’t sleep a wink all night,” said 77-year old Jeffrey Edwards, after being told an MOD bomb disposal unit would arrive at their home the very next day. “It knocked us for six.”

Yet despite the uncertainty about whether the shell could detonate and destroy their home, Edwards insisted, “If it goes up, we’re going to go up with it.”

Also Read: Volcanic Eruption on Indonesia’s Mount Marapi Leaves 11 Dead, Over Dozen Missing

64-Pound Naval Bomb Transported and Destroyed

Fortunately, MOD explosives experts determined the live charge in the 64-pound naval shell was small enough that they could safely transport it to a nearby disused quarry. There, buried under five tons of sand, the century-old relic met its definitive end in a controlled detonation.

“It was an old friend. I’m so sorry that the poor old thing was blown to pieces,” Edwards lamented afterwards. His wife Sian agreed, saying she used to affectionately bang the old shell with her trowel after gardening.

Also Read: IIT Kharagpur Students Receive Record Number of Placement Offers on First Day

Sea Mine Discovered by Lemonade Man Over a Century Ago

According to Edwards, the home’s previous owner decades ago had been told that the shell was found on a Pembrokeshire beach over a hundred years before.

Royal Navy warships had apparently once used the sands of Broad Haven village for target practice. During one trip there in the late 19th century, a local lemonade delivery man named Pop Morris struggled to haul the unexploded sea mine back with his horse cart.

Ever since Morris first planted the shell as a quirky ornament in his own front courtyard so long ago, it had become a fixture passed down through generations at the Milford Haven house.

“It stood there during two World Wars,” Edwards remarked. For the Edwards themselves, it felt like saying goodbye to an old friend when the bomb finally met its end last week.

Also Read: Woman “Digitally Arrested” in Elaborate Online Scam, Loses Over Rs 11 Lakh