A primary school pupil brought a suspected WW2 grenade to a show-and-tell assembly, Derbyshire Live has reported. The primary school in a Derbyshire town of Ashbourne was evacuated, with a swift arrival of bomb disposal experts. The dramatic events unfolded at Osmaston CofE Primary School on Friday when the child revealed the grade 5 explosive device during the assembly. Head teacher Jeanette Hart quickly confiscated the grenade despite still not knowing whether it was live. She placed it behind a robust tree in the car park while emergency services were called.
After authorities inspected the school, investigation by the military personnel confirmed the grenade was not a threat. It turned out to be a family relic taken without the parents’ knowledge.
Reflecting on the incident in an interview with the BBC, Hart commented: “It was going fine and there was a boy who brought an old bullet case in, which I knew about, but then his friend produced a hand grenade from his pocket. That, I was not expecting.”
Hart explained that she “tried to avoid a panic” when she realised the student was in possession of the grenade.
She said: “It looked old and I thought it might be safe but I didn’t want to take the risk.”
Derbyshire Police reported that army explosives experts confirmed the grenade was harmless using X-ray equipment and encouraged parents to inspect what their children are bringing to school after the alarming incident.
The Matlock, Cromford, Wirksworth and Darley Dale Police Safer Neighbourhood Team shared on Facebook: “We even got to see those [X-ray] images and [were] told a detailed analysis of how there was nothing that would set the grenade off.”
The post concluded with some crucial advice for parents: “Just a word of guidance for parents and guardians – double check what your kids are taking to show-and-tell, especially when they are family heirlooms.”