A primary school in the United Kingdom was recently evacuated and a bomb squad dispatched after a student unexpectedly produced a World War II hand grenade during a show-and-tell presentation. The school’s headteacher, Jeanette Hart, was uncertain whether the device was active but chose to err on the side of caution.
Hart, the headteacher of Osmaston CE Primary School, managed to maintain her composure as she carefully transported the explosive device to the school’s parking lot. She ended the assembly, took the grenade from the student, and placed it behind a distant tree in the car park. Hart admitted to the BBC that she was not entirely comfortable handling the device.
The school, located in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, approximately 35 miles south of Sheffield, was swiftly evacuated and the military bomb squad summoned. The grenade was deemed safe by army experts using X-ray equipment.
Interestingly, the explosive turned out to be a World War II family heirloom that the boy had brought to school without his parents’ knowledge. The police and the army bomb squad responded to the calls at the Derbyshire school.
Hart later had a conversation with the student about the incident. She stated that the student’s actions were entirely innocent, as he was unaware of what the object truly was. He knew it was a war relic and thought it would be an interesting item to share.
The boy’s parents were reportedly surprised when they discovered what their son had brought to school. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of children understanding the potential dangers of historical artifacts.