Latterbarrow Bomb

I narrate this story as told to me by my father, Jack Hodgson who is now a sprightly 84 years young.During the war, he was farming with his father at Latterbarrow Farm at Witherslack, near Grange over Sands in Cumbria. Of course in those days it was still Westmorland. He went to sign up to join his older brother Dick but was turned away as he was told he was needed for agricultural purposes.
In May 1941 or 1942, he in not quite sure of the year, planes were buzzing overhead as usual, Barrow docks are not too far away from Witherslack. He said it was as light as day with flares going off
At about 3 a.m. he was out in the yard having been wakened by the planes when he saw a parachute coming down. He not surprisingly thought it was a German so he dived back into the farmhouse for hs 12 bore shotgun.In fact it was a magnetic parachute mine not a man and just as he was going throught the passage between the house and the cottage the mine exploded and blew him of his feet.A tin box in his pocket was completely flattened and all the windows in the house were blown out.
The mine left a 6 foot crater in solid rock which is still there till this day.
It is said that lights were put on Humphrey Head which in the dark resembled a ship to lure the bombers towards this piece of land because the Ark Royal was in Barrow dock for repairs.
Jack says he was that frightened that he hid in the field behind a banking for another hour before he dare come out.

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