Explosive outcome as grenade mistaken for ‘fossil’ by best pals

DEVICE: Bomb squad scrambled after riverbank find identified as live ordnance believed to date from the First World War

The bomb squad was scrambled to a Fife village after a “fossil” found by a local schoolboy turned out to be an unexploded hand grenade.

Billy Haddow was fishing on the River Carron with his friend Alex Kesely when they discovered the unusual looking item lying on the shore.

Eleven-year-old Billy picked up the strange object and took it to his pal’s house for a sleepover. They weren’t aware that it wasn’t the preserved remains of an ancient animal or sea creature, but instead an explosive thought to date back to the First World War.

The device had to be detonated in a controlled explosion in a field near Billy’s home at Hill of Beath.

The Beath High School pupil said: “I thought I’d found a fossil, but my friend told me it was a grenade.

“I had waders on and saw it on the river bank. It was on a little island in the middle of the river.”

He said: “I thought it looked cool and would be fun to have as a decoration, but I didn’t realise it was live.”

He said the police came to his family home to take a look: “They told me that it was live and that it was a bit silly taking it home.

“They said if you find something like that to leave it and call 101 for advice, and don’t touch it.”

Police called in Army explosive specialists who cordoned off the area and blew up the device in a field off Torbeith Road.

Billy’s mum Maureen, 50, said she gave the pair a “rollicking” for bringing the grenade into the house.

She said the boys had been told by Alex’s dad to leave it alone, but had smuggled it back to Alex’s home on Friday for their sleepover.

Maureen said: “They stayed overnight with it and he showed me it at his brother’s house the next day. His brother said these things have been going off – I didn’t really believe it when the police said they had to phone the bomb squad.

“They’re typical boys, not doing any harm but always up to mischief.”

Thankfully the grenade was safely disposed of by a bomb disposal team from the Royal Logistics Corps and nobody was hurt.

Maureen said the incident had even provided the family with some light relief, adding: “Billy’s gran is very poorly and for two days the family has been around her bed, but that morning she woke up bright as a button.

“She thought we were making up the story to cheer her up!”

Smith. Picture: Kenny Billy Haddow and Alex Kesely, right, and the grenade which they found.