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17
May 2022
How did a First World War bomb end up in Knaresborough?
Knaresborough has its share of mysteries — did Mother Shipton really predict the future and how did Blind Jack build so many roads?
Now there is a new one: how did a First World War bomb lie undiscovered in the River Nidd for so many years?
The bomb was found in the shallows beneath Grimbald Bridge yesterday by litter picker Simon Briscombe.
Mr Briscombe thought it was a gas canister until the bomb squad turned up and carried out a controlled explosion in a nearby field.
Police closed the A59 for two hours.
It seems miraculous that such a weapon could have lurked undiscovered for more than a century — and how did it get there?
Intriguingly, Kathy Allday, chair of Knaresborough Museum Association, said a British plane came down in the Nidd during the First World War, close to the area where the weapon was discovered.
The pilot was killed and debris was scattered across the river. Could it have been carrying the bomb?
Unexploded shell in Scriven Park
It isn't the first explosive device found in Knaresborough.
Members of Claro Community Archaeology Group discovered an unexploded shell from the Second World War in Scriven Park while metal detecting several years ago.
Mike Baxter, chairman of the group, says there was a munitions factory at nearby Farnham during the Second World War. He added.
Read more:
- Watch First World War bomb detonated in Knaresborough
- Bomb squad detonates First World War bomb in Knaresborough
- Meet the Knaresborough woman who is a dog chaperone at weddings
Kevin Earl, a military history enthusiast from Knaresborough, said his gut feeling was that this was a German bomb from the Second World War and if it dated back to the 1914-18 war he could only imagine it had been disposed of in the river.
Knaresborough resident Chris Jenkins got in touch to say:
Simon Briscombe
Mr Briscombe, who stumbled across the weapon, thinks this explanation is plausible. He said:
The self-employed electrician said he hadn't managed to do much work today but was grateful to be alive.
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