Plymouth father who uncovered WW2 bomb in daughter’s garden recalls moment he ‘hit it with spade’

Plymouth was brought to a halt yesterday as one of the biggest peacetime evacuations in British history unfolded

A military vehicle at the scene near St Michael Avenue, Plymouth, where residents have been evacuated and a cordon put in place following the discovery of a suspected Second World War explosive device (Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

A father has recalled the moment he discovered an unexploded WW2 bomb while digging in his daughter’s garden and revealed he hit it “with his spade”, sparking a major incident that brought Plymouth to a standstill.

The entire city spiralled into chaos after Ian Jary, 57, dug up a 500kg bomb in St Michael Avenue on Tuesday whilst helping his daughter with a home extension, leading to one of the biggest peacetime evacuations in British history on Friday.

An estimated  10,000 residents were forced to leave their properties as the bomb was transported to the sea near Torpoint Ferry slipway.

A “severe” government alert was sent to residents’ phones, warning them to stay away from the route of the disposal convoy between 2pm and 5pm on Friday.

Mr Jary, who works as an undersea drilling expert, said he hit the bomb with his spade as he was digging deeper to find hard ground in the garden of the terraced house, reported the Daily Mail.

Emergency workers gather in Albert Road near to the Torpoint Ferry crossing in Plymouth (PA) (PA Wire)

After several days of digging and rain, he says he finally realised what the mystery object was.

He told the newspaper: “We actually found it about a week ago it was just outside the building line and the building inspector said we needed trench of around 650mm. I hit something with a spade but we weren’t sure what it was at first.

“Since then we’ve had so much rain, the bank collapsed, then there was more rain on Friday and it’s been revealed more and more. It’s about one metre long and half a metre in diameter. We’ve found a cap and a round circle thread sheared off or broke off.

“By this point my wife said we really should just call the police and alert them.”

Five minutes later Plymouth police officers suggested a 200m cordon and around 16 police cars arrived before Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) arrived to assist in the operation.

Emergency workers gather near the Torpoint Ferry crossing in Plymouth where a suspected Second World War explosive device discovered in a garden will be taken by military convoy to be disposed of at sea (Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Wire)

The city was brought to a standstill as people living within a 300m radius of the route the bomb travelled had to leave their homes before 2pm.

Superintendent Phil Williams, of Devon and Cornwall Police, was speaking at a press conference at the cordon in Plymouth when the emergency alert rang out on mobile devices.

“As has been the way throughout this, we’ve not forced anyone to leave their home. All we can do is urge them to and offer them the best possible advice that we can,” he said.

The main trainline was closed as it travelled through the cordon, whilst ferries were suspended and buses diverted.

Schools and nurseries were closed to allow the operation to take place, while all businesses within the cordon were evacuated

A local mechanic told Sky News “It’s been a very scary moment for myself, my wife and three children.

“[The reaction’s] unbelievable and very scary as we live yards from the scene.”

By late afternoon on Friday, after the removal operation was over, evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes.

The council said at the time: “We have been notified by the military that operation has been a success and the bomb has been removed.

“We can now start removing the cordon so people who have been evacuated can return to their homes.”