Father and Son Foolishly Handle WP Round

Folkstone, United Kingdom A 50-year civilian and his two sons are lucky to be alive after they found a WWII era mortar while exploring Warren Beach. After finding the mortar round, the father reportedly held the round in his hand to post a photo of it on social media.

Shortly after handling the device, his 8-year old son noticed smoke coming from it. The dad described that moment to reporters covering the story, "I thought he was joking until I also noticed a small bit of dust like powder coming out of it when I poked my finger in the hole at the top." He went on to say "At this point, we decided it was all a bit dangerous and we buried it in the prickles and covered it up."

Luckily for the man and his kids, rain started to pour down and he and his sons ran to their vehicle nearby. In the car, the father continued to share the photo with friends until one wise friend advised him to call the Coast Guard immediately to report the find.

Authorities responded and notified an EOD team from Wast Wear Bay for technical support. EOD identified the round as a WP mortar from WWII. The round was safely detonated in place by EOD.