MEMORIES 169 continued the story of the Hartlepool bombardment – that staggering day in December 1914 when three enemy ships appeared out of the mist and shelled the coastal town. About 123 people died in Hartlepool, and a further 70 were killed in simultaneous attacks on Scarborough and Whitby.

Although it happened 100 years ago, the story lives on.

Vera and Don Currie in Darlington got in touch to say that, following the article, they had looked out a piece of shrapnel that may well have been picked up as a souvenir by Don’s grandma, Annie Young. She lived in Old Hartlepool at the time of the bombardment.

Martin Cook in Hartlepool emailed in a picture of his piece of shrapnel.

“Like in our story in Memories 169, Martin’s grandmother caught a train in from Wingate every morning during the First World War to attend Henry Smith Grammar School on the Headland.

“I got the shrapnel from a second-hand shop in Hartlepool several years ago,” says Martin.

“It is about nine inches (23cm) long and weighs 1lb 10oz (750g), and it is mounted on a hardwood plinth.

“I believe it is part of the nose cone of an 11in shell – you can tell by its size, the curved form of its metal and the threaded part at the base.”

Martin adds: “I got it specially for my daughter’s 21st birthday as a piece of local history.

She, though, was not impressed, hence I still have it.”

In years to come, she will surely see the error of her ways and become fascinated with this strange connection to one of the most infamous events of the war.