Two children have found an old bomb while out with a metal detector. The bomb disposal unit Dovo checked the American artillery bomb from the Second World War and detonated it.
Ferre and Febe found the shell with their metal detector in a field in Wolfsdonk, Flemish Brabant. “The children heard a loud beeping sound and started digging,” says their mother, Karen Naulaerts. “I started digging too until I saw that it looked like an elongated bomb. Then I stopped because you have to be careful.”
Naulaerts notified the police, who arrived at the scene. “We stood at a safe distance. The police took photos and sent them to Dovo. They determined that it wasn’t urgent. The police cordoned off the area where the bomb was located.”
The message is not to tamper with them and to call the police as soon as possible
It turned out to be an American artillery bomb from the Second World War.
“At around noon, we detonated the bomb on site,” says Jacques Callebaut of DOVO. “Moving the bomb would have been risky because it still had an explosive fuse. A bomb like that can cause damage up to 100m away, not only from the explosion but also from flying shrapnel.”
Such projectiles can be found all over Belgium, dating from both world wars, says Callebaut. “The message is not to tamper with them and to call the police as soon as possible. There is always a risk of explosion, and it could also be toxic ammunition.”
Ferre enjoys searching with the metal detector. “He has already found coins in the garden. I also have a licence to search fields with a metal detector,” his mother says. “This was one of the first times he went searching in the field, and he immediately made a big find.”