A couple walking on an Isle of Wight beach found a cylinder containing a capsule similar to that used in 1945 by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler to commit suicide, bringing an end to World War II.
The modern-day beachcomber couple, Emma Lofthouse and Shaun Bloomer, said that the cylinder contained a tightly-closed glass ampoule containing liquid, according to the Daily Mail. The two reported that they quickly contacted police to observe and test the material and were permitted allowed to keep the item in their possession.
“There is still a clear liquid inside the container, in a glass ampoule. We thought it might be seawater, but it appears to be sealed shut,” said Lofthouse. “We contacted the police and they came and had a look, but they didn't know what it was. They said they could either take it away and destroy it or we could keep it”.
The beachcombers kept the capsule, considering it a “part of history”, although they are “not really sure where to take it”. Lofthouse noted that those on the beach to whom they showed the capsule claimed that they had “never seen anything quite like it before”.
“We've done a bit of research, and concluded it could be a Nazi cyanide capsule. There are no markings on the capsule, but I suppose they could have been worn away over time,” Lofthouse suggested.
Cyanide capsules were often used during World War II era by spies sent on dangerous tasks behind enemy lines, as a means of killing themselves to avoid capture and potential torture.
Hitler took his life in a similar fashion, although it was reported that he had been advised to escape to Berchtesgarden, a small town in the Bavarian Alps where he owned a home, as the Russian army was just a day away from conquering the German chancellery.
