The WWII mortar that was found by local man Bernard McHugh in Boho this week.
This is the moment a controlled explosion was carried out on a World War II mortar that was found in Boho this week.
The bomb was discovered by local man Bernard McHugh while he was out kayaking on the Ross Lough on Monday. To pass the time, curious Bernard sometimes trails a magnet while paddling, to see what he can find. The Samsonagh man never expected to fish this out of the water, though!
As a World War history buff, Bernard recognised the mortar for what it was, and instinctively kept it in safe keeping, rather than leaving it aside. Not sure what to do with it, he carefully left it far from his home, photographed it, and called to the police station.
Before he knew it, he was being escorted home by officers, who then took shifts to keep the public a safe distance from it over night. The next morning the bomb squad arrived and carried out the explosion seen in below the video, which Bernard has kindly shared.
Bernard said he’d heard family members recalling tales of American soldiers practising shooting into Belmore forest while training in Fermanagh during the war, which may go a long way to explaining why the antique explosive was found in such a sleepy and beautiful corner of the county.
For more on this story see next week’s Fermanagh Herald!
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