World War Two mortars found at Kingley Vale

Several World War Two mortars have been found in the woods at Kingley Vale.
By Sam Pole
Published 8th Feb 2022, 14:14 BST
Updated 9th Feb 2022, 16:04 BST
Several World War Two mortars were found in the woods at Kingley Vale. Picture courtesy of Sefton Jones and Karl Venus. SUS-220802-140555001Several World War Two mortars were found in the woods at Kingley Vale. Picture courtesy of Sefton Jones and Karl Venus. SUS-220802-140555001
Several World War Two mortars were found in the woods at Kingley Vale. Picture courtesy of Sefton Jones and Karl Venus. SUS-220802-140555001

Sefton Jones was walking his dogs with a friend through the woods in Kingley Vale when he spotted something strange popping out of the ground.

He said: “My mate and I were walking out dogs up at Kingley Vale, on Saturday (February 5). We were just walking the dogs as normal and as we cut through the woodland area, we found a couple of mortars half buried.

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“They looked sort of broken up so we wondered if they’re live or not live and we did a little bit of digging and we ended up pulling out just over 10 mortars all together.

Several World War Two mortars were found in the woods at Kingley Vale. Picture courtesy of Sefton Jones and Karl Venus. SUS-220802-140529001Several World War Two mortars were found in the woods at Kingley Vale. Picture courtesy of Sefton Jones and Karl Venus. SUS-220802-140529001
Several World War Two mortars were found in the woods at Kingley Vale. Picture courtesy of Sefton Jones and Karl Venus. SUS-220802-140529001

“We found out that where we found the mortars were next to an original mortar position that had been dug out and used my British and Canadian troops for target practice in preparation for D-Day.

“The site was also used by Spitfires for target practice.

“Our first reaction was to call the police really and report it because, obviously if found that, you don’t know if kids or dogs are going to go playing in there.

“The police attended, and they confirmed that they were ordnance. They then stayed with the mortars and there was nothing else my mate or I could do so we left them to it.

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Several World War Two mortars were found in the woods at Kingley Vale. Picture courtesy of Sefton Jones and Karl Venus. SUS-220802-140544001Several World War Two mortars were found in the woods at Kingley Vale. Picture courtesy of Sefton Jones and Karl Venus. SUS-220802-140544001
Several World War Two mortars were found in the woods at Kingley Vale. Picture courtesy of Sefton Jones and Karl Venus. SUS-220802-140544001

In a statement Sussex Police did confirm that an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was able to attend and remove the devices.

“It’s not everyday you come across that sort of thing. Sefton continued

“Its amazing that after all this time that things are still being found.

“It was a no-brainer to do the right thing and report it to the police.”

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Sussex Police confirmed an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team attended and remove the devices.

Anyone who comes across something they think may be an explosive device is advised not to touch, even if it looks old and rusty, and contact the police.

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Related topics:Sussex Police