It wasn’t and still isn’t unheard of for old mines and other types of explosives to be washed up on the shores of Colonsay. The most recent one was found fourteen years ago on Kiloran Bay. The local school children were brought up to the bay to view it being blown up by the authorities, and a video of the blast, including their delighted laughter can be found here.
The following are stories I have been told about similar, much older, finds. The story I heard was that Donald Oronsay and Para Mor (as youngsters) found a huge fifty-gallon drum washed up at Port Lobh, filled with an unidentified liquid. They opened it and discovered it to be very strong smelling. They both had bakelite lighters and thought that they would fill their lighters up with it, but when they tried, the liquid ate away the plastic completely. They put the bung back in and retired home, to decide what to do.
The next day they returned, took the bung out, and rolled the barrel up the beach, leaving a trail of the liquid. They then ignited the liquid from the far end. The flame shot along the trail, straight towards the barrel, and when it reached it there was an almighty explosion that shot "200 feet up into the air!"
As told by John Bridges