An antique dealer got a surprise when the tools he purchased from an estate included a Second World War-era bomb.
On Saturday morning, military police and officers with the Saanich Police Department responded to the 100-block of Maddock Avenue after they received reports about the discovery of an incendiary device inside a home.
Andrew Winger of Steptoe Antiques told CHEK he mainly deals with estate liquidation and recently purchased some antique tools from an estate. He said included in the tools was a bomb from the Second World War.
“I bought a bunch of mechanical equipment, antique tools and things like that, and I didn’t realize at the time, but I realize now, that in this collection of items, there was an incendiary bomb,” explained Winger.
He said he did some research and then contacted a friend who told him what type of bomb was included in his haul of antique tools.
“I did a little bit of research and called a friend of mine who specializes in military and he advised me the device was a WWII-era German Luftwaffe incendiary device designed to drop over London,” Winger said.
Throughout the Second World War, the German Luftwaffe dropped countless bombs over Britain, killing more than 50,000 people, and there was a chance the bomb Winger discovered could be live.
After the police were called, residents living within a 100-metre area of the home were forced to evacuate for a few hours this morning as the bomb was removed.
Winger was told he wouldn’t be getting the device back.
CHEK News
