‘I was helping clean out my gran’s garage – and then I had to call in the British Army’

Being a dutiful grandson can sometimes get you into a whole heap of drama.

George Cheetham, 26, was given the unenviable task of clearing out his grandmother’s house ahead of her big move from her quiet Hampshire village.

But lurking in the back corner, hidden in dust at the very bottom of the cluttered garage, were two of his late grandad’s prized belongings – two First World War anti-aircraft shells.

Mr Cheetham told Metro: ‘I had a faint memory of grandad showing me these shells when I was really young, and I thought I better try and find them.

‘When he was in charge of me, he would let me hold them for a bit. Then I could shoot his air rifle or his catapult. I was probably three years old. They don’t make them like my grandad anymore.’

But what started as a search through memories and other knick-knacks quickly turned into something far more serious.

After digging through the garage on a hot Sunday afternoon, George found the two rusting shells still intact, sitting on a camp chair, thankfully undisturbed.

‘They were like really heavy, and still have the tops on,’ George said.

‘I’ve got like empty shells at my house – so I know the difference.

‘My grandad passed away a year ago, so we had no idea if they were live or not. I picked them up and left them at the bottom of the garden for safety.

‘We called police and they came round to have a look. They didn’t know so they called in the army, who brought in their own bomb disposal team.’

It is thought the shells belonged to grandad John’s own father, who had served in North Africa during national service.

‘They were from 1916 – they were engraved with the year on both of them.

‘We think it was an anti-aircraft or anti-tank shell. We guess it is British but we’re not sure. We rang around the whole family and nobody had a clue.

‘He served in North Africa and had a huge sword in there too.’

The army’s bomb squad were called in with a captain and a sergeant arriving to inspect the unexploded ordinance.

The ‘professional’ team rejected cups of tea from George’s grandmother and carried out tests and X-rays, where they detected some explosives.

Telling the family that it happens ‘more than you’d think’, they began phoning around local farmers to see if the ordinance can be safely blown up in a controlled explosion nearby.

‘One farmer actually said, “You can do what you like as long as you don’t damage my crops”, George said.

‘They packed them up in a big red box and took them away.

‘A police officer said he would send me a video of the explosion but I haven’t got it yet.’

Mr Cheetham’s post on X has attracted a lot of messages from around the world.

He added: ‘A lot of Americans have been contacting me, saying I should never have given them up.

‘It’s strange – I think they love guns too much – you had better be safe than sorry.

‘My nan thinks it’s all quite funny. I think my grandad’s wetting himself up in heaven to be honest.’

Hampshire Police have been approached for comment.

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