I was living next door to a World War 2 grenade

A long-standing resident of a Coleraine street told of her relief that they had not been living for years beside a bomb after it emerged there was no danger from a World War Two type grenade found in the vacant house next door.
Joyce Watson, of James Street in Coleraine, who didn't realise she was living next door to an unexploded WW2 grenade.
PICTURE MARK JAMIESON.Joyce Watson, of James Street in Coleraine, who didn't realise she was living next door to an unexploded WW2 grenade.
PICTURE MARK JAMIESON.
Joyce Watson, of James Street in Coleraine, who didn't realise she was living next door to an unexploded WW2 grenade. PICTURE MARK JAMIESON.

Army bomb disposal squads rushed to James Street in Coleraine on Monday after a grenade was found at Number 12 in the terraced street near the town centre.

Police later said an unexploded grenade was taken away.

A spokeswoman said there was nothing sinister about the discovery of the grenade and it was not linked to terrorism.

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Sources said that the grenade was old and may have dated back to World War Two but that the arming pin had been removed and there was “never any danger of it exploding”.

It is understood the grenade was one of a number of collectibles amassed by former joiner, pensioner Uel Grundle, who had lived alone at the house before his death last summer

Neighbours said the house was being cleared out by relatives who made the shock discovery of the grenade and police were alerted.

Joyce Watson (58) said they were relieved that the grenade turned out to be harmless as initially she had been shocked to think that they could have been living beside a potentially deadly device for a number of years.

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Mrs Watson lives with her husband, two sons and daughter in No10 and had been evacuated when police said there was an “unexploded bomb” next door.

Speaking for the first time about the drama, Mrs Watson said: “Mr Grundle died at the end of August last year and they were clearing out the house and they found the device on Monday. We are living in James Street about 30 years and he had moved in before that. He lived on his own and was in his 70s.

“At first it was a shock to hear a bomb was found and as one of my son’s was saying if it had gone up and you were lying in bed you would have known about it but apparently there was no pin in it to be activated. I’m just glad that turned out to be the case and everybody is in one piece after it all.”

Another James Street resident, Ronnie Galbraith (69), said residents were shocked at the security alert.

“There was a a few of them a bit gunked at first,” he said.