Men uncover wartime bomb shell from river bed

A group of friends had to alert the police after they made '˜shocking discovery at the bottom of a river.
Four friends were shocked  after they pulled up a live bomb shell from  World War OneFour friends were shocked  after they pulled up a live bomb shell from  World War One
Four friends were shocked after they pulled up a live bomb shell from World War One

Magnet fishing can be seen as an exciting way to uncover rare coins, jewellery and other long-lost items from the riverbeds.

But Dan Phillips, of Durrington, was surprised to pull up a wealth of World War One artefacts from the River Arun on Friday.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Accompanied by three friends – Luke Izard, Liam Farrow and Marlon Farrow – the team of amateur adventurers went to the river in Coldwatham to find out what lies beneath.

Four friends discover a wealth of World War One weaponsFour friends discover a wealth of World War One weapons
Four friends discover a wealth of World War One weapons

Using a large magnet tied to a piece of rope, the men threw it into the water and slowly dragged it back towards themselves.

Dan, 22, said: “At first we got some shotgun bullets, but after that we found two rifle barrels with the handles rusted on them.

“Then we found a full rifle.” Reeling in rotten weapons and ammunition, the friends were excited when they caught what appeared 
to be the largest item – the friends had stumbled upon a World War One artillery shell.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “I didn’t know what it was until I held it in my hands.

A World War One rifle was uncoveredA World War One rifle was uncovered
A World War One rifle was uncovered

“We put it down, as you can imagine, then we called the police.”

“Everyone was a bit shocked. It’s not what you expect to find when you throw a magnet into a river.”

A police officer arrived and after one look at the antique weapon, more officers were called to the scene.

“They all then called the bomb disposal,” said Dan.

Bullets were foundBullets were found
Bullets were found
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Although the friends did not hang around to see 
what happened to the unexploded shell, they were asked to hand over their finds from that day, with the exception of two rifle barrels, which they were allowed to take home.

Ultimately, the men uncovered several gun barrels, 53 unfired shotgun bullets, two unfired rifle bullets, a war rifle and a large artillery shell. After their exploits on Friday, Dan said the four had developed a taste for magnet fishing and will continue to explore riverbeds to see what else they can find.

“We now love it and we have been doing it ever since,” he added.

Anyone who discovers old shells or similar items should contact Sussex Police in case items are still live.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage

2) Like our Facebook page

3) Follow us on Twitter

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

Always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.