Atomic-bomb roof tile fetches only £45; former owner to donate £200

LINCOLN, England (Kyodo) A roof tile damaged in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 was sold at auction Saturday for £45 (about ¥6,700) amid criticism from survivors and relatives of victims in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Memorabilia: Atomic bomb-related items auctioned off Saturday in England include a roof tile from a Buddhist temple in Hiroshima (lower right), its certificate and related photographs. KYODO PHOTO

John Watts, 81, said he had been given the roof tile by the priest of Sairenji Temple when he visited Hiroshima in 1952.

"I'm 81 now, single, and nobody from my family seems to want it," Watts said last week when contacted in his Lincoln home. "Somebody might like it as a memento, and I didn't want to throw it away."

He said he had no idea there would be adverse reaction in Japan to the sale and started considering donating half of the proceeds to an atomic-bomb survivors' charity.

Critics in Hiroshima and Nagasaki said such an item should not be sold or purchased.

The tile is granulated on the surface as a result of the heat rays from the explosion that reached a maximum temperature of 6,000 degrees for 0.1 second.

Watts said that because the item drew only £45, he decided to donate £200 to support groups for A-bomb survivors.

There was no immediate information on who bought the roof tile, which was auctioned off with some other Hiroshima-related memorabilia.