HUDSON — The Nashua bomb squad was called to remove a World War I-era shell from a Highland Street residence on Monday.

Gale Doiron brought the shell home after discovering it in her grandparents' former residence.

Doiron's grandfather, Otis Clark, served in World War I and World War II, Doiron said. She believes Clark brought the 37-millimeter shell home from the Army as a souvenir.

Doiron was sorting through her grandparents' belongings at their former Belnap Street residence about six months ago and found the shell buried in the dirt in a metal box. It was 7 to 8 inches long, with 1913 or 1918 stamped on the bottom, she said.

“I thought it was cool,” Doiron said. “I was going to keep it as a knick-knack.”

After storing it on her bureau, she decided to donate it to the VFW in her grandfather's name for use in their display. One of the veterans suggested that she have the police examine it first so she called them Monday morning. The shell had corroded in some spots, Doiron said.

Capt. Robert Tousignant arrived at the home around 10 a.m. and decided to call in the Nashua bomb squad.

“We didn't know if it was live or not at the time,” Tousignant said.

The bomb squad X-rayed the munition and determined it was not live, Tousignant said

The incident took about an hour and a half and the scene was cleared by 11:30 a.m., Tousignant said.
jhanson@newstote.com