First World War bomb found on air base
Undated handout photo issued by the Ministry of Defence of a 16lb First World War bomb which was discovered by contractors working at the RAF CollegeÕs Cranwell Airfield being detonated, using a controlled explosion by personnel from 6131 Bomb Disposal Unit. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday October 10, 2018. See PA story DEFENCE Bomb. Photo credit should read: MoD/Crown Copyright/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
A bomb disposal squad was called after a 100-year-old device was found on an air base.
The 16lb First World War bomb was believed to date from around 1916 and was discovered by contractors working at the RAF College's Cranwell Airfield in Lincolnshire.
An RAF bomb disposal team - 5131 Squadron - was called to detonate the device.
Deputy Commandant of RAF College Cranwell, Group Captain Gordon Bettington, said: "On discovery of the WW1 ordnance by contractors working on our airfield, we activated our contingency plans to deal with the incident."
He added: "I am immensely proud of the response from all our personnel and 5131 Squadron, which enabled things to swiftly return to normal after the ordnance was made safe.
"We are now fascinated to learn more about the munition itself and the history of operations from the airfield."
Personnel working nearby were evacuated as a precaution.
Warrant Officer Phil Hunt, of 5131 Squadron, said: "This was a WWI bomb and it took a few minutes to identify as it was a most unusual find."
