WWII Bomb Found in Plymouth Garden Sparks Historic Evacuation and Military Operation
It’s not every day that a quiet neighborhood suddenly finds itself at the center of a major evacuation, but for the residents of St. Michael Avenue in Plymouth, that’s exactly what happened in February 2024. When Ian Jary, while digging in his daughter’s backyard, struck something solid with a spade, he had no idea it would turn out to be a 500kg unexploded bomb from World War II. This accidental discovery set off a chain of events that included the involvement of bomb disposal experts, military convoys, and the evacuation of over 10,000 residents from the surrounding area.
The WWII-era bomb, which had been silently resting for decades, suddenly became a pressing threat that had to be dealt with immediately.
Ian Jary and his family were simply undertaking routine digging in the garden when they first encountered the mysterious object. Initially, Jary didn’t realize the gravity of his find.
He described how rain and soil erosion slowly revealed more of the object, prompting him to call the authorities. What they thought was just an old piece of metal turned out to be a fully intact, 500kg German Sprengbombe Cylindrisch, or SC 500, which had been dropped during the Luftwaffe’s relentless bombing raids on Plymouth during World War II.
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