KILLED BY WAR RELIC.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 September 1928, Page 7

KILLED BY WAR RELIC.

LONDON, Aug. 9. The danger oi tampering with war relics without being certain that they are harmless was emphasised at an. inquest at Sb. Paneras yesterday on Joseph • Forbes, a lorry driver, of Sunnyside road, 'Leyton, E., who was killed by a shell cap which exploded in the yard of the Metropolitan Water Board, Rosobury avenue E.C. Another man named Lecdor, of Mount Pleasant road, Tottenham, N., was injuieu. Charles William John Furniage, electrician in charge of the offices in Rosebery avenue, stated that during the war lie unearthed the nose-cap of a shell while digging his allotment at Mitcham Believing that the shell had been fired lie took it to the office with the intention of adding it to the hoard’s collection of war curios. The nose-cap was kept in the storeroom, and he forgot it. Alw>ut eight months ago he came across it again and tried to pull it to pieces. Last Tuesday lie was clearing out rubbish and place the nose-cap and other metal in a tin to be taken away. Next day he saw two men near the old metal, and shortly afterwards there was an explosion. One of the two men lying on the ground said: “The thingliars gone off.” , Norman Felstead, a messenger, said he saw Forbes holding something r both hands and knocking it on the top of a stone coping. He turned to another man and said, “Here’s a mar knocking a bomb on the concrete,” “Suddenly I saw a cloud of dust and heard an explosion,’’ he added, “I saw the man who had been hammering thrown info the air,” A FOREIGN SHELL,

Dr H, E l , Watts, Home Office Inspector of Explosives, said that the nose-cap looked like a foreign fuse, which was very sensitive. “During the course of a year,” he added, “we may get two or three of these cases. We have appealed to people -who possess war relics and are uncertain about them to notify the police so that they can he collected and disposed of.” „ The Coroner, Mr Dan ford Thomas: I did not think there were any of these things left now. .Dr Watts: We sometimes get 20 or 30 war relies a year. They go to the Home Officei magazine. The jury returned a. verdict of ac-t oi dental death.