Mr Burrage and Mr Simpson start digging again – carefully! Some strange things have been dug up by gardeners, builders and Operation Springclean workers. But none stranger – or more dangerous - than a fused artillery shell measuring 3” by 15 “which was literally unearthed by two Burnley men at the weekend.
Mr Jack Simpson, proprietor of Pike Hill Garage, was busy clearing rubbish from some land surrounding a bungalow at the rear of the garage on Saturday, helped by a friend, Mr Frank Burrage. Work was going well and they lit a fire to dispose of the refuse, when suddenly, Mr Burrage noticed the shell lying dangerously close to the flames. “We phoned for the police pretty quickly.” Said Mr Simpson. “We’d probably trodden on it and kicked it around without realising what it was. The police picked it up and put it in a tank of water and snt for the bomb disposal squad.”
The officer from the squad described the shell as vintage, that is, probably from the first world war, and thought it could have been embedded in the ground before the bungalow was built in 1929. Said Mr Simpson, “Because of the marks on the shell, the officer could tell it had been fired. Although the nose cap was detonated, the shell itself was intact. It appeared to have a time fuse on it, and he thought there was probably cordite in the shell. But thanks goodness, he managed to move it safely.”
Since the episode, Mr Simpson has been breathing sighs of relief that the whole place didn’t go up in smoke. But his heart lurches a little when he spots a car driver throwing a match out of the window in the direction of the petrol pumps.