TODAY'S children are shockingly ignorant about the world wars, we are told. Many teenagers think Winston Churchill is the name of a dog in an insurance commercial.

But at least three youngsters now have personal experience of the thrill and terror of war after a live grenade was found in the garage of their Acomb home.

When this heart-stopping discovery was made, you could have heard a pin drop. The family will certainly never forget it. For the children, the bomb's controlled detonation is one way of learning history with a bang.

Updated: 10:20 Thursday, February 17, 2005