'Oh my god, that's an unexploded bomb' - Boy, 10, makes explosive discovery out walking on Dartmoor

  • The moment of the controlled explosion after Joe and Matt Baker found the unexploded bomb while walking on Dartmoor

A 10-year-old boy walking with his dad found an unexploded bomb while walking on Dartmoor.

Joe Baker, 10, and his dad have now described the "an amazing experience" of feeling the vibration of the explosive underfoot as it was detonated over 250 metres away by a Royal Navy bomb squad.

The pair first made the discovery while out walking on Okehampton Army Range on the edge of Dartmoor on 7 May when they noticed something strange in the bushes.

Upon closer inspection, Joe found what the pair believed to be an unexploded bomb.

His dad Matt said the pair were out letterboxing - an outdoor hobby that combines elements of orienteering, art and puzzle solving involving small, hidden, weatherproof boxes with clues - when they came across the surprising sight.

The unexploded bomb found by Joe Baker and his dad Credit: Liverpool Echo

Matt said: "Joseph and I walk up there quite regularly together. We do a thing called letterboxing so we look for letterboxes and stuff like that.

"We were in a different area for once and Joseph noticed something in the gorse. We went across to the gorse and pulled it apart and went 'Oh my god, that's an unexploded bomb'."

Matt promptly called the police, who arrived a short time later to cordon off a large area around it.

Images of the large object were sent to the Royal Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team in Plymouth who confirmed it was an explosive and travelled up to Okehampton to detonate it.

Matt said bombs have been found in the area before - discoveries common to Devon and Cornwall.

The moment of the explosion Credit: Liverpool Echo

However, he said this is the first time they have witnessed a detonation, something that he describes as "an amazing experience".

Matt said: "The artillery round was about five to six inches in diameter by about 16 inches long so it was quite big. So we walked away from the area, and called the police.

"The police came out and put a 250-metre cordon in. They said that the EOD had received our pictures of it and was coming out to have a look. They decided to blow it up.

"It's not the first time we've found one, this is the second UXB (unexploded bomb) we've found on Dartmoor but this time they decided to blow this one up.

"That was quite amazing to see. It's something that doesn't happen very often when you're out walking. Joseph was quite amazed by it."

Unexploded bombs can be found frequently in Devon and Cornwall Credit: Liverpool Echo

A video shows the explosion letting out a large bang, which Matt says could be felt vibrating underfoot as well. He says officers even provided his son with ear defenders.

The dad said: "Even being 250 metres away from it, we felt the vibration of the bomb going off. The police officers quite enjoyed the experience themselves.

"It was quite an experience with how seriously it was treated with the cordons being put in place and the EOD people who turned up.

"There was an armed response vehicle and a police officer there who was very kind in getting Joseph a set of ear defenders, which was really nice of them while the rest of us stuck fingers in our ears."

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