GRENADE BURSTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23015, 18 April 1938, Page 8

GRENADE BURSTS

GEBMAN WAR BELIC boy seriously injured LEFT HAND BADLY SHATTERED ACCIDENT AT HASTINGS HOME ■ [by telegraph—press ASSOCriATies] HASTINGS. Saturday The explosion of an old wartime German grenade (pineapple resulted in Allen Protfiitt. aged 14-J years, suffering a badly-shattered left hand and internal injuries at his home ;ri Maddison Street. Hastings, yesterday afternoon. He is now an inmate, of the Hastings .Memorial Hospital, where fingers and part of his thumo were amputated. The injured boy. who is a son of Mr. and Mrs. T. Protfitt. had been examining the grenade, which had been to New Zealand front France dwring.ahe Great War. and was stii! caked with the mud of the tranche*. The grenade had been in the house tor years, and it was understood that the detonator had bet-n removed. it now appears. however. that it was merely hidden by the mud and the grenade had remained a potential danger for nior* than 20 years before it finally exploded. The boy. who was alone cit-ide the house, apparently tapped the grenade !on the ground with his left hand to remove the mud and it immediately ; exploded. When his parent? rushed oat- ; side he was lying on the ground in an unconscious condition and bleeding from the left hand. He was taken to. hospital and this morning internal injuries were diagnosed, in addition to the hand injuries.