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Mum And Daughter Lucky To Be Alive After World War Two Grenade Explodes In Kitchen

Mum And Daughter Lucky To Be Alive After World War Two Grenade Explodes In Kitchen

Jodie Crews thought it was a bone or a fossil when the pair stumbled across it on a beach

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

A mother and daughter are lucky to be alive after a World War Two grenade exploded in their kitchen.

Jodie Crews and eight-year-old Isabella stumbled across the explosive while walking along a beach near their home in Deal, Kent.

At first, the 38-year-old thought it was a fossil or an old bone, and appealed on social media to see if anyone could help.

She said: "I posted photos on fossil and archaeology sites and had lots of replies but no one suggested it could be a grenade.

"One woman thought it looked like whale vomit and said I could find out by poking it with a hot pin. She said a puff of white smoke would come out."

Jodie didn't know it was a grenade until it exploded.
SWNS

But Jodie soon found out that it was something much more sinister when the grenade suddenly burst into flames in her dining room.

She said: "It just turned into a fireball. My daughter screamed and ran out the back door. I grabbed the grenade and ran with it at arms' length into the kitchen where I hurled it into the sink.

"We just went into survival mode.

"I then rushed upstairs to soak a towel to throw over it to put it out. The adrenalin must have kicked in and taken over.

"My first thought was to save my daughter, house, cats and dogs. With my daughter safely in the garden I ran back upstairs to get the cats - we have four three-week-old kittens - and rounded up our two dogs, Teegan a border collie and Lulu a Pomeranian."

Neighbours rushed in to help the mother and daughter, with one calling the emergency services.

The pair stumbled across the relic during a walk along a local beach.
SWNS

The Second World War grenade burned itself out in the sink but melted part of the plastic windowsill, damaging the sink and filling the house with smoke.

Jodie, who works for Kent County Council looking after adults with learning difficulties, said: "I have been told not to drink out of the taps as some of the chemicals from the grenade might have gone up them. It was a fireman who said it was a grenade. He said it was normally covered in a protective coating of wax."

Adding: "Isabella had been asking for a metal detector for Christmas. I think she might end up with a Nintendo Switch instead after this incident. It will be safer."

It burned itself out in the sink.
SWNS

The pair picked up the relic during a stroll along Sandown beach.

Jodie recalled: "We were taking the dogs for a walk and I found it on the pebbles. We often collect pieces of glass and driftwood as we like making things. We are very arty and crafty.

"It had strange ridges and looked more like a piece of bone. It wasn't very heavy and weighed the same as a bag of sugar. I thought it might be an old knee joint. It didn't feel metallic at all."

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: kent, Beach, World War Two, Community