A GRANDFATHER who was nearly shot after being mistaken for a German spy has returned to the scene of the incident.

Don Whitfield, 86, cycled to Thirlmere reservoir in 1945 for a short holiday with his friend but curiosity got the better of him and he nearly paid with his life.

Aged just 14, Don made the long journey from Darlington to Cumbria but little did the teenage tourist know he would end up being held at gun point.

After hearing of his story, Untied Utilities invited Don back to relive history - minus the weapons.

In 1945, Don and his friend Allan spent a couple of nights in a Keswick truck stop bed and breakfast before deciding to investigate Thirlmere.

"It was really rough," Don recollects. "They gave us a couple of beds and we slept among these big, hairy lorry drivers."

When they got to the reservoir they noticed that the door to a shaft had been left open and they went to investigate.

"We propped the door open and looked down and there were rungs so we went down and eventually reached the bottom," said Don, a retired mechanical engineer. "There was a blooming big drum.

"It was nine metres in diameter and I have since found out that it was a drain to lower the water level."

But they were not given a warm welcome.

"There were 10 home guard and army men crouched down holding guns and pointing them straight at our heads," said Don. "An officer approached and I thought I better just play it cool."

The schoolboys were questioned for 20 minutes and despite their age and regional accents they were treated as German spies.

"They accused us of being saboteurs but we were just 14-year-old boys from Darlington! They wouldn't have it," said Don.

Thirlmere supplied 80 per cent of Manchester's water and was vital for the production of munitions during the war effort.

It was believed the Germans were planning a Dambusters-style raid so security was high - there were three gun emplacements and soldiers stationed there permanently.

Matters were made worse for the teenagers by the fact neither was carrying their ID cards, which was mandatory during the war.

Eventually the officer decided the teenagers were not a crack squad of undercover German saboteurs and sent them on their way.

No records exist of the incident, which is no surprise to Don.

"The army wouldn't put it in writing because somebody had left the door open - they would have been for the high jump. I'm sure they sorted it out with the person involved and he wouldn't do it again, would he? He'd get shot!"