Mark and Ava Wigfull of Dockenfield talk about the day they discovered a Second World War British mortar bomb in their front garden.

Two children from Dockenfield had a day to remember when playing with their toy metal detector for the first time.
Mark and Ava Wigfull, aged six and five respectively, heard a beep by a tree at their Batts Corner home that transported them to the Second World War.
Mark said: “We were metal detecting and we found a bomb in our garden, and then we rang the Army and the police to check if it’s got explosives or not, and it did.
“So we drove to Pitt Farm, where our great-granny and grandad live, and we got ready to blow it up. And then we blew it up, and then we sent a video.”
Mark and Ava were detecting on March 21 near the Surrey and Hampshire boundary oak in their front garden, where ten years ago their uncle Ben Poulsom detected a Middlesex Regiment Napoleonic cap badge. They found a brass horse buckle, thought it was treasure and looked for a “pirate chest”.
On the other side of the boundary oak the beeper sounded and Ben found something metallic.
Mark said: “Uncle Ben hit it with a spade two times, and then we had to stand back so we were safe.”
Ben said: “We held our breath as I lifted the turf and saw another semi-brass coloured object covered in dirt. I picked it up but very quickly noted the shape and placed it gingerly back into the hole. I immediately got everyone away from the hole.
“I was 90 per cent sure it was something bomb-like, perhaps a Second World War remnant. So I rang 999. The operator was great and within an hour a police officer was on the scene, and ten minutes later the Army bomb disposal unit arrived. They took an X-ray to confirm it was live.”
The bomb was a two-inch high British-made Second World War mortar issued to the British and Commonwealth armies.
Ben said: “They needed somewhere local to detonate it safely. Our family farm, Pitt Farm, is three minutes down the road in Frensham. It was the perfect site.
“They buried it four feet deep to stop shrapnel flying and had a big reel of cable to run a line to it to send their charge up.
“The whole process was incredible and we want to say a big thank you to the Army and police for dealing with ‘our little find’ and making some amazing memories.”
The bomb was mounted on a plinth with a plaque to explain its history and the events of March 21.
Mark and Ava, in Year 2 and Year R respectively, took the bomb and video to show their Rowledge CE Primary School classmates. Ben said: “They were very impressed.”
Mark said: “We took the pieces to school and the other children liked that. They saw the video as well. They liked the noise.”
Of the bomb’s discovery and detonation, Mark added: “It was an exciting day. The Army pressed the button and it was quite a big bang. And then we were done.”