Amateur dramatics props were real hand grenades

Amateur actor Keith Poultney almost brought the house down when he decided two World War One hand grenades would make the perfect props for his Dad’s Army stage show. Keith, 56, picked up the rusting explosives, which date back to 1918, while rooting around in his mother-in-law’s garage in Droitwich, Worcestershire.



But the Army Bomb Squad was drafted in when Keith, who is playing the lead role of Corporal Jones in a performance this weekend, found both grenades still had their pins intact. Keith, who lives in Magor, near Chepstow, picked up the pair to “add an authentic touch” to his play while visiting the Midlands for a family wedding over the Bank Holiday.

Father-of-one Keith said: “We’re always looking for props that add that little bit extra to our shows and these seemed spot on for our revue. To my astonishment the lead plugs were still there in the base and the pins were also in the bottom of both.” In true Corporal Jones fashion Keith didn’t panic, but called the police, who advised him to immediately take the grenades outside to a safe distance from his home.



He drove out into the countryside and awaited the arrival of the Bomb Squad, who carried out a controlled explosion and found the grenades were not live. Keith said: “Now we don’t have the props for our show. It could have been worse, they may have been live and that really would have brought the house down.”