stock image of an artillery shell
Police in Gloucester, England state a man showed up to the emergency room with an artillery shell in his rectum. The patient claims he “slipped and fell” on the WW2 munition.
The bomb squad was immediately called to the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. However, doctors had already removed the shell by the time they arrived. Experts then verified the ordinance was no longer live, and it was pronounced inert.
Various WW2 artillery shells. The one involved most likely looked similar to the second shell from the right.
The projectile was identified as a 57mm shell that measured approximately 6.5×2.3 inches. This type of shell was typically shot from WW2 era six-pounder anti-tank guns.
An inside source told The Sun, “The guy said he found the shell when he was having a clear out of his stuff.”
Adding, “He said he put it on the floor then he slipped and fell on it — and it went up his arse… He was in a considerable amount of pain. I think he collected military memorabilia.”
The patient was released and is expected to make a full recovery, as long as he stays away from other military memorabilia.
The British newspaper Metro recently reported that medial procedures to remove foreign objects from patients’ rectums have cost the National Health Service (NHS) around £340,000 ($450,000) a year.
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