Leuven (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A Chiro Hekeko boy brought home a WWI shell detonator from Heuvelland. His mom called Leuven police; DOVO’s Jacques Callebaut warned not to touch such finds-Belgium sees daily discoveries.
As VRT News reported, a boy from the Chiro Hekeko youth group in Kessel-Lo (Leuven) came back from camp in Heuvelland, West Flanders, with the detonator of a World War I shell. His mother found the metal piece while unpacking his things and quickly called the Leuven police.
Officers saw it was likely part of old ammunition and contacted DOVO, the army’s bomb disposal team, who came to take it away safely. They mentioned that Heuvelland, close to Ypres, is an area where farmers and walkers still find old bombs and shells from the war even today, more than one hundred years later.
How did a Chiro boy bring a WWI shell detonator to Leuven?
Jacques Callebaut from DOVO said it was very important that the family did not touch the object themselves. He warned that old shells or parts of them can still have something inside that might explode or even contain chemicals. He said people should always be careful and think it could be dangerous.
The police and army are now reminding everyone, especially children and youth groups who visit the Westhoek area, not to pick up things from the war. If anyone sees an old bomb or piece of ammunition, they should leave it where it is and call the police so experts can take it away safely.
Jacques Callebaut from DOVO said pieces from the 1st and 2nd World Wars still turn up all over the country.
“Almost every day something is found,”
He said. Callebaut explained what people should do if they ever see old ammunition or parts of it. He said the rule is simple: do not touch it and do not move it. “Just leave it alone,” he warned.
He told people to call the local police straight away, and they will contact DOVO. The bomb experts then decide how serious the case is. Callebaut said that if DOVO had been called directly from the Chiro camp, they would have gone there at once to collect the detonator safely.
According to officials, incidents like this happen often in Belgium, especially in West Flanders, where World War I left millions of shells behind. Children, farmers, and hikers still stumble across old bombs and parts of ammunition every year.
In recent years, school groups have accidentally picked up grenades on trips near Ypres, farmers have unearthed chemical shells while ploughing, and children have taken home small shells thinking they were harmless souvenirs. Each time, the army’s bomb squad, DOVO, is called to remove the items safely.
