Two schoolboys sparked a bomb scare when they returned home from metal detecting in a field - by bringing two WWII anti-tank shells home with them.
The boys, Kane Byrne and Alex Taylor, both 12, from Folkestone, Kent, were looking for trinkets and coins when they discovered the shells from WWII, which have since been identified as anti-tank shells.
The shells, which can 'vaporise anything within 6ft', were eventually destroyed in a controlled explosion by the police.
The war may have officially ended nearly 70 years ago, but this shows it hasn't completely gone away.
Father’s terror when schoolboys, 12, return home from metal detecting with World War II shells
Went metal detecting on school day off, returned with anti-tank shells
Shells could have 'vaporised anything within 6ft' if overheated
Identified by cameraphone pictures by grandfather: former bomb disposal
Tank missiles destroyed by police and bomb squad after scare
By Luke Garratt
15 January 2014
Daily Mail
Two schoolboys sparked a bomb scare when they brought home two warheads after spending a day metal detecting in a field in Kent.
The boys, Kane Byrne and Alex Taylor, both 12, from Folkestone, were looking for trinkets and coins when they discovered the shells from WWII, which have since been identified as anti-tank shells.
The shells, which can 'vaporise anything within 6ft', were eventually destroyed in a controlled explosion by the police.
Kane Byrne (left) and Alex Taylor (right) both 12, discovered the unexploded anti-tank shells when they were searching for trinkets in a local field using a metal detector
The muddied wartime rocket heads were destroyed by the police and bomb disposal experts, and were identified from these photographs by Mike Woodland, Kane Byrne's grandfather
The missiles were found in a field in the seaside town of Folkestone, Kent, while the boys had a day off
They were identified by Kane's grandfather, Mike Woodland, a former Royal Engineer bomb disposal expert, who said the weapons were defused but they needed to call the police.
Karl Byrne, the schoolboy's father, placed the warheads in a bag meanwhile and positioned them at the back garden so they didn’t overheat and explode.
Mr Byrne, 42, an area manager for Lidl, said: 'When I saw those warheads in the house my face said it all.
'They wanted to show me the treasures that Kane had brought back.
'I felt panicked but kept calm for the children. I knew what those objects were.'
The boys went exploring when they had the day off from Dover Grammar School for Boys because of flooding.
'We didn’t really know what they were at first. But I’m glad we found them because they’ve now been made safe,' 12-year-old Kane said.
'It’s not put me off metal detecting but the police told me that next time I find something I’m not sure about to tell my dad first.
Alex, also from Folkestone, added: “We dug it out and it looked like a large bottle. It was about 1ft deep in the ground.
'We took it back to Kane’s house and cleaned it and decided to go back to see if there were more.
'We found the second one had been right next to the first and brought that back, too.
The rockets were identified from this picture by a former member of the Royal Engineers bomb disposal team
The friends found the muddied rockets in a field in Folkestone near Kent
Read more: Terror when schoolboys, 12, return home from metal detecting with World War II shells | Mail Online
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The boys, Kane Byrne and Alex Taylor, both 12, from Folkestone, Kent, were looking for trinkets and coins when they discovered the shells from WWII, which have since been identified as anti-tank shells.
The shells, which can 'vaporise anything within 6ft', were eventually destroyed in a controlled explosion by the police.
The war may have officially ended nearly 70 years ago, but this shows it hasn't completely gone away.
Father’s terror when schoolboys, 12, return home from metal detecting with World War II shells
Went metal detecting on school day off, returned with anti-tank shells
Shells could have 'vaporised anything within 6ft' if overheated
Identified by cameraphone pictures by grandfather: former bomb disposal
Tank missiles destroyed by police and bomb squad after scare
By Luke Garratt
15 January 2014
Daily Mail
Two schoolboys sparked a bomb scare when they brought home two warheads after spending a day metal detecting in a field in Kent.
The boys, Kane Byrne and Alex Taylor, both 12, from Folkestone, were looking for trinkets and coins when they discovered the shells from WWII, which have since been identified as anti-tank shells.
The shells, which can 'vaporise anything within 6ft', were eventually destroyed in a controlled explosion by the police.
Kane Byrne (left) and Alex Taylor (right) both 12, discovered the unexploded anti-tank shells when they were searching for trinkets in a local field using a metal detector
The muddied wartime rocket heads were destroyed by the police and bomb disposal experts, and were identified from these photographs by Mike Woodland, Kane Byrne's grandfather
The missiles were found in a field in the seaside town of Folkestone, Kent, while the boys had a day off
They were identified by Kane's grandfather, Mike Woodland, a former Royal Engineer bomb disposal expert, who said the weapons were defused but they needed to call the police.
Karl Byrne, the schoolboy's father, placed the warheads in a bag meanwhile and positioned them at the back garden so they didn’t overheat and explode.
Mr Byrne, 42, an area manager for Lidl, said: 'When I saw those warheads in the house my face said it all.
'They wanted to show me the treasures that Kane had brought back.
'I felt panicked but kept calm for the children. I knew what those objects were.'
The boys went exploring when they had the day off from Dover Grammar School for Boys because of flooding.
'We didn’t really know what they were at first. But I’m glad we found them because they’ve now been made safe,' 12-year-old Kane said.
'It’s not put me off metal detecting but the police told me that next time I find something I’m not sure about to tell my dad first.
Alex, also from Folkestone, added: “We dug it out and it looked like a large bottle. It was about 1ft deep in the ground.
'We took it back to Kane’s house and cleaned it and decided to go back to see if there were more.
'We found the second one had been right next to the first and brought that back, too.
The rockets were identified from this picture by a former member of the Royal Engineers bomb disposal team
The friends found the muddied rockets in a field in Folkestone near Kent
Read more: Terror when schoolboys, 12, return home from metal detecting with World War II shells | Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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