Four WWII Shells Found on Sheffield Building Site

4No. suspected WWII shells have been unearthed on a building site in Sheffield forcing an evacuation of nearby premises. The shells were found during an archaeological investigation as part of demolition works at an old industrial facility.

Sheffield city centre was heavily bombed during WWII, particularly during the ‘Sheffield Blitz’ of December 1940. There were also numerous Anti-Aircraft (AA) batteries positioned around the city to provide defence against raiding Luftwaffe bombers, whilst several Sheffield engineering firms were requisitioned for shell manufacture.

It is likely that the three shells were remnants of local munitions manufacture during WWII.

An Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team soon removed the items and the safety cordon was lowered.