An original piece of a Butterfly Bomb dropped on the boundary of Grimsby and Cleethorpes in June 1943.

This relic was kindly donated to Grimsby and Cleethorpes Museum by a gentleman who attended a talk on the ‘Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Great Coates Butterfly Bomb Raid’ at Great Coates on 16th May 2026. The item was recovered as a souvenir on the date of the raid, 14th June 1943, or shortly afterwards. It was found on Carr Lane, somewhere near its junction with Columbia Road. This location may have been either within Grimsby or Cleethorpes. Many butterfly bombs fell in this locality.

The relic indicated by the white arrow is part of the arming spindle and cable assembly. The bomblet had clearly detonated, severing the strong steel cable while the remaining upper section of the fuze shows evidence of melting caused by the explosion. Original examples of the same components are shown on either side for comparison. It is not possible to determine which type of fuze was originally fitted. The white ellipse on the photograph of the complete butterfly bomb indicates the position from which the relic originated.