A couple who kept an old missile as a garden ornament said "it was like the passing of an old friend" when it was detonated by a bomb disposal team.
The bomb, which had been outside the home of Sian and Jeffrey Edwards in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, is thought to date from the late 19th Century.
The couple had thought it was a "dummy" bomb with no charge.
The Ministry of Defence said it removed a 64lb (29kg) "naval projectile".
Mrs Edwards said she used to bang her trowel on the bomb to remove earth after gardening.
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Tests proved the bomb was live, but with only a tiny amount of charge. It was taken to a disused quarry in Walwyn's Castle, covered with five tonnes of sand and detonated.
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"Warships for the Royal Navy used to drop anchor in St Brides Bay and point their guns towards Broad Haven and open fire," he claimed.
"They used to use the sands for target practice. They'd make sure there was no one on the sands, mind!
"Well Pop Morris, who went around delivering lemonade, was going down to Broad Haven with his horse and cart and found the shell.
"He struggled back up the beach with it, put it on the back of his cart and had a very bouncy seven-mile ride back home.
"He plonked it upright in the front courtyard and that's where it remained."
The bomb was later sunk into concrete and painted red to match the window ledges when Mr and Mrs Edwards bought the house in 1982.
"It stood there during two world wars," said Mr Edwards.
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Originally Posted by HeavyDuty
