A BOMB disposal unit was called to Tangmere Aviation Museum after a First World War shell was found thrown underneath an aircraft.
Staff at the museum believe the ten-inch long shell was thrown over the boundary hedge by a member of the public sometime before 1pm yesterday (Tuesday, August 19) when it was discovered.
The museum had to be shut and evacuated at 2pm and a 100-me
tre safety zone was put in place by police.
The bomb squad examined the shell and found it did not contain a charge.
Nearby residents were warned about the incident but were not told to evacuate.
Peter Allison, from the museum, said: "It was lying on the grass under one of the aircraft. We know it wasn't there previously, it clearly had not been dug up from there.
"We do not know what to think – whether it was thrown over during the night or during the day.
"It was covered in mud. Someone must have dug it up and thrown it into the museum grounds."
The bomb squad turned up at 3.40pm and took the shell away.
After the Second World War when the airfield was in active use by the RAF, all known bombs and shells were cleared from the grounds.
Damage incurred from bombing raids is still visible on some of the buildings on the airfield.
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The full article contains 300 words and appears in OS-Chichester Observer newspaper.
