On Sat, 7 Jun 2008 10:22:33 +0100 someone who may be Edward Cowling
London UK wrote this:-

A policeman on the local television news yesterday was stressing just
how potentially dangerous this bomb was, a

Are they though ? I understand that TFL must take public safety as
their first priority, but is a 60 year old bomb that's been in the mud
all that time a credible risk ?

The military still study these old things, in order to be aware of
what is inside them, how they work, what is likely to have happened
to them while they laid undisturbed and what might happen to them
when disturbed. They do this in order to minimise the chances of
being blown up when they approach and then remove them. It takes a
fair amount of courage to walk up to something like that, rather
than get behind cover. It is not possible to argue with explosives,
they do not listen to reason.

It may be that this particular bomb could have been lifted up onto a
lorry and taken away for disposal, not in a rubbish tip. However, it
is at least as possible that had they done this it would have gone
bang at some time in the procedure. Would you have liked to be
taking part in this operation and wondering if every second was
about to be your last? Far better to explode it in situ, or if that
was not possible as in this case disrupt it so that it is less
likely to go bang and then remove it for disposal.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54