CHILDREN INJURED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 88, 24 January 1944, Page 5

CHILDREN INJURED

EXPLOSION OF A SHELL. DAMAGE TO COTTAGE. (P.A.) PALMERSTON N., Jan. 23. That several children should have escaped death when a shell with which they were playing exploded, can only be described as a miracle. Five of them are in the Palmerston North Hospital with injuries. The incident occurred at Foxton Beach at 7.45 on Saturday morning. The children were from an orphanage at Marton, and were on holiday at the beach. They were housed in two cottages and it was in the one in which those in charge were not accommodated that the accident happened. It appears that they found two shells while traversing the area adjacent to the beach, recently used by the military forces as a. practice area. One shell was taken from them on Friday by Captain Wilson, who was at the beach, hut he w r as not aware that the youngsters had another of the deadly missiles. On Saturday morning they were playing with the shell in their bedroom. Suddenly it commenced to “whiz” (to use the words of one of the children): They realised it might go off and endeavoured to throw it out the window, but in the confusion it dropped on the floor. A second later it exploded, blowing a hole in the roof and wall, and tearing a bed mattress to ribbons.

The injured children are: Waalca Samuels, aged 5, severe lac erations to both legs.

Joseph Samuels, aged six, lacerations and a fractured hone in one foot.

David Ferry, aged six, lacerations to both legs. Hugh Isles, aged 10, severe lacerations to one leg and injury to one eye. Massey Makatea, aged seven, multiple injuries to the abdomen. Dangerously ill. The condition of the others is satisfactory.