The Day we received a bomb at our home.

My eldest Grandson Adam Mellor, was one year and a few month old. On a weekday in 1989, his father, my son, Stuart John Mellor, was in the habit of bringing him to our home at 118, Birches Barn Road, where we would have him for several hours, whilst our daughter in law did some part time work. We loved having him. Stuart usually arrived at about 8.30pm and his visits coincided with the visit of a post lady, we had her for years. My wife, collected the post, and put it on the Kitchen Table, it was near Christmas, and amongst the post was a small colourfully wrapped packet. My wife, said, "someone has sent you a Christmas present"
I opened all my mail, with a paper knife, I slit open the bottom of the package. I then saw the tell tale wires, which my knife has not touched. I said, Thia may be a bomb and threw it into the hallway. It did not detonate. My wife, took the child outside, the back door, onto the lawn. My son, open the front door, and kicked the object onto the front lawn, again it did not detonate. I telephoned "999" and reported the incident. The operator said," two more, one to the Chief Constable and one to Superintendent V Morris, at Birmingham Road, have been deteted at the Sorting Office.
In the interim period, the police had arrived. The used a waste disposal Lorry, to stop all traffic at Birches Barn Road and St Phillips Avenue, and in a few minutes, had shut sown Birches Barn Road, completely. It remained like that for the next five hours. The Police did not examine the packet. The Bomb Disposal team, Army where called. They sent in the small tractor on caterpillar tracks and camera. They kept in touch with me, via open telephone. At about 12md they announced the bomb, was an High Explosive charge, with incendiary elements, which if it had detonated, would have caused serious injury and a fire. It was their intention to detonate it in situ. We had to withdraw from the house, into the rear orchard. The detonation took place, it made a 3foot, wide, by 1 foot deep hole in the lawn, and dislodged 8 roof tiles on the verandah. The incident was over. I made a formal statement, and received a a call from Geoffrey Dear, commiserating with me, a similar call from Vic Morris, who was an old Friend. Invitation to the Incident Room followed, and 6 weeks later the enquiries into the three bombs, were curtailed. Who was responsible. I do not know.There were many theories, IRA, BLF, my former service experieneces., in Palestine It came to naught. An unpleasant experience.

Bombs on Uttoxeter in second world war.

Uttoxeter did not suffer that much during the war. The first stick of bombs fell in a field at Loxley, and a further stick followed later. The only 'blitz' was on the Bailey and Mellor families, in New Road ( parish of Stramshall ) - exact date forgotten, 1941/2. I was at home at 57 Park Avenue. My father was on Home Guard duties (he was too old for military service) at Bamfords Ltd, ( not JCB ! ).
I usually got up early in the summer, and walked along the unfinished by-pass and down to Park Hill Farm, breakfasted with my uncles and cousins. Then to school, or I went off scouring the fields.
On this day, I met a neighbour, Tom Simpson, veteran of the First World War. He had a strange staccato speech. He said, "The Germans hit your grandma's". I told my mother and went to the farm. Some rescue and firemen were about, but no police. I saw a large crater in the front garden, some 30 feet across, and about 20 feet deep. It was filling with water (this was the site of the old canal).
Park Cottage or farm, our neighbour, had received a direct hit, and a bomb went down the well. The whole building had collapsed. I was told that Bill, Aunt Maud and Annie had taken ladders to get Mr and Mrs Bailey out. They stopped with us, until relatives collected them. No one in our farm noticed the crater, in the front garden, until the following morning. The only damage we sustained was a cracked pane in the kitchen window, the soft soil had absorbed the blast. Over the next hour, people were coming to gaze at the bomb craters. My cousin, Teddy and I, being entrepreneurial, charged sixpence to go and look at our crater, we had made three shillings each when PWR Arthur Mellor, my father's cousin, came and stopped anyone from entering; this was not his fault, the Superintendent had instructed him.
My cousin and I, with my Uncle Dan, then went to look at the other bombs. There was an oil bomb, not detonated, blue and white and metallic. No cordon, my uncle actually touched it. I dared not. It was by the basin, where we swam. There was a oil-like substance all around it.
There was an unexploded bomb about 150 yards from the oil bomb, on land belonging to Websters. The cordon remained for weeks. Everyone forgot it. I consider it is still there. Months later my uncle sawed off the fins of the oil bomb, which he gave to my father - it was at our home, until father died in 1981, and it then disappeared.
John Mellor (John P Mellor. OBE., QSM., Ridder van den orde orange nassau, Vierdienst Kreeuz mit bande. Commandatore Polonia Restotuta.Grosse goldene Ehrenzeichen )