AN incendiary bomb dating to World War II has been donated to a county museum.

The bomb, weighing 1kg, was donated by a local farmer who found the artifact in his field and defused it using a milk churn. 

The artefact, now part of the Haverfordwest Museum collection, records a dark era in Pembrokeshire history.

"During the summer of 1940 terror was seen to rain from Pembrokeshire skies," said museum curator Dr Simon Hancock. "The German Luftwaffe brought the Second World War very close to home."  

Dr Hancock explained how, in August 1940, three Ju88s bombed the Admiralty oil tanks at Llanreath and destroyed 33 million gallons of oil.

"Pembroke Dock was by far the worst hit town," said Dr Hancock, "but there were scattered raids elsewhere, including bombs dropped on City Road and New Road, Haverfordwest."

Occasionally bombs were jettisoned over rural areas where there were no military or strategic targets.

Western Telegraph: Simon Hancock (left) with the bomb donation by Mr and Mrs McGarrySimon Hancock (left) with the bomb donation by Mr and Mrs McGarry (Image: Western Telegraph)

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Dr Hancock described how that fateful summer a stick of incendiary bombs landed on fields at Pope Hill Farm, Johnston.

The 1kg incendiary bomb consisted of a cylindrical body made of magnesium alloy filled with thermite - an incendiary compound to which a three-finned steel tail was attached.

The farmer Mr Thorley Evans, picked up the incendiaries and put them in milk churns full of water - apparently standard War department advice.

They fizzled for a while and then the village blacksmith, Mr Jimmy Parsell (or Parscel) defused them, explained Dr Hancock.

Western Telegraph: The bombs were picked up and put in milk churns full of water - apparently standard War department adviceThe bombs were picked up and put in milk churns full of water - apparently standard War department advice (Image: Western Telegraph)

Now one of those very bombs has been donated to a local museum.

Dr Hancock said that as the nearest accredited museum, him and his team were delighted to accept this 'kind donation' from Mr and Mrs McGarry. 

"The incendiary bomb," said Dr Hancock, "is a salutary reminder of how there was no distinction between civilians and the military in the era of total war."

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