A schoolboy uncovered remains of World War II explosives on a beach in the Highlands – using the metal detector he got for Christmas.
Patrick McAlindon, seven, found the remnants of a grenade when he was testing his new kit on Christmas Day while on holiday in Aviemore.
After just 15 minutes of scanning the beach at Loch Morlich, Patrick was stunned when his new gadget showed an “off the scale” reading.
The family – Patrick, along with mum Ana, 41, dad Andrew, 41, big brother Daniel, 19, and little sister Lana, four – started digging.
And Patrick uncovered discarded crates, fragments of grenades and a bomb warning sign left behind from Allied forces more than 70 years ago.
Patrick, from Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire, said: “The metal detector almost went off the scale.
“I was shocked, I thought it was gold or something. We started digging and two minutes later, we found the sign.
“I was really surprised and shocked when I saw ‘bomb’.
“I was a bit scared at first because I thought there were grenades under there.”
The “A W BOMBS” sign is thought to date from World War II when Allied Norwegian soldiers trained in the area.
The McAlindons alerted police and bomb disposal experts soon established the haul posed no risk to the family.
Ana said: “Patrick loves history. He doesn’t watch cartoons now, just the Discovery Channel and history documentaries. He wants to find gold next.”
