The chilling memories of a close shave with death have been shared by Geoff Brown, a 94-year-old Grimsby resident. A child at the time, Geoff narrowly escaped a fatal encounter with an unexploded Butterfly bomb during the catastrophic air raid on Grimsby in 1943. His recollections bring to life the horrors of the first ever Butterfly bomb attack, which claimed 66 lives and caused significant property damage.
On the fateful day of June 14, 1943, at 1:43am, German planes showered the town with 18 tonnes of explosive ordnance, including these new terrifying weapons. The aftermath was a town littered with 2,000 of these unknown objects, which caused 30 casualties within the first hour of detonation.
Geoff and a friend stumbled upon one of these bombs the morning after the raid, oblivious to the deadly events that had unfolded just hours earlier. Unaware of its true nature, Geoff handled the unexploded bomb and even playfully kicked it down the street, before taking it home to his parents.
Recalling the incident to Grimsby Live, Geoff said he had no knowledge of the Butterfly bombs that had been dropped. He found the strange object whilst searching for shrapnel, a common pastime for boys of his age. Upon discovering the bomb, he took it to a nearby soldier who also failed to identify it. Attempting to open the device to inspect it, the soldier was unsuccessful and handed it back to Geoff.
It was only when a bomb disposal lorry passed by his house that the true nature of the object was revealed, leading to it being detonated right at his doorstep. In the wake of the explosion, Geoff felt he was lucky to be alive. He also shared other memories of his wartime experiences, including nightly visits to the air raid shelter and the joyous street party that marked the end of the war in Europe.
As the 80th anniversary of VE Day approaches, Geoff’s harrowing story serves as a stark reminder of the perils that were faced by the citizens of Grimsby during the Second World War.
This story was adapted by The Lincoln Post from original reporting by www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk.
