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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Deadly Souvenir's of ww1


deano

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Hi

post-17978-1188721024.jpg

This from Burngreave cemetery in Sheffield.

Inscription read's;

In loving memory of

John edwin, The dearly loved son of

Edwin Jame's and Edith Scanlan

who was accidently shot by sourvenir of the Great

War. Dec 12th 1919 aged 16

"Even at an hour where ye know not our

Heavenly Father call's his children home"

i also know of two young brother's buried in Birtin cemetery in Sheffield who were killed by an incendary that their father had put in the garden shed for safe keeping while he went to the pub! (ww2)

i was just wondering if any of you have come across other such instance's during your research?

regard's

Dean

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how sad - I would expect that many accidents happended with souvenirs brought back

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Not the same but similar

In WW2 one UXB squad was called by the ARP to inform them that in clearing a damaged building a number of German bombs "of an entirely new type" had been discovered. This was bad news as an entirely new pattern bomb would mean a new type of fuse , possibly 'booby trapped' for which no disarming processes had been established and some poor soul would have to be the guinea pig in neutralising it. On arrival the bombs were indeed found to be of an unkown pattern but on closer examination they turned out to be Zeppelin UXBs from WW1. Apparently the WW1 occupants of thre building had found holes in the roof and floors and quietly repaired them without alerting anyone!

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Just been trying to find out where one of my relarives is buried in Lancaster, and in the process found a story of an unexploded bomb which had to be recovered and defused from a grave in Lancaster.

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I have researched the Fate of 5 men from the RFA who were all killed in an Accident at Ploegsteert Wood in 1914,one of the Men had aquired a "Dud" German Shell and had attempted to remove the Nose Cap for a Souvenir..with devestating results,5 needless Deaths.

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My story is not so fatal but my grandfather when only a child blew 2 of his fingers off whilst messing around with an artillery primer my great grandfather brought home from WW1.

Ian

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Hi Ian

that's the sort of thing i was thinking of.

the stuff that was brought/smuggled back home, that then killed or maimed somebody.

regard's

Dean

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Hi,

Sunderland Echo 28/10/1924

German stick bomb found by dustman and used as a copper for washing explodes, no one hurt.

Incidentally, his wife had just left the kitchen when it exploded.

Barry

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Major Edward Wellesley RE, a grandson of the Duke of Wellington, who commanded 178th Tunnelling Company at the Tambour, killed himself on leave at his home in Ireland in October 1916 with a fuse that he had taken home as a souvenir.

S

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My grandfather shot and killed a burglar in his house in 1931 with a pistol he kept from the war. My great uncle also had a German pistol from the war, but handed it in during one of the post war weapons amnesties to round up such things. Apparently in Glasgow in the 1920's - 1930's, bayonets were popular weapons.

David

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I know of one family who lost a daughter on Pan Am 103 over Lockerbee and the following year lost a son who found a WWII fragmentation grenade in the basement and pulled the pin thinking it was a practice bomb.

Ralph

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Within the last year a French collector was killed in an explosion in his shed. I'm pretty sure there are posts covering it.

Regards

Ali

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I should think that During and Long After WW1,there would have been the occassional Incidents of Deaths and Maimings due to People Messing with seemingly Harmless Souvenirs brought Home by Family Members.I am sure there must be lots of Accounts of these Incidents hidden in the Archives of Local Newspapers.Maybe an Interesting project for research ?

http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,94039,00.html

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Hi, shortly after WW1 the people of Barnard Castle decided they wanted rid of a German field gun which was located in the village square. A blacksmith using oxyacetylene was employed to cut it up for scrap, however from what I can gather, as he cut some part of the recoil system the springs hurled pieces of metal into the onlookers killing at least 1and injuring others.

This incident was reported in the Durham Chronicle.

Barry

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From a War Diary

29th November 1918--------------."C" Coy on Range.While firing a rapid "Fire" competition C S M Dickman & L/C Tomkins were wounded through a defective cartridge shattering the bolt head of L/C Tomkins' rifle.--------.

George

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Hi

thank's for all your post's,

i did have a feeling that there would be load's of incident's of Death and Maiming, through stuff brought back home.

as PBI say's, there is a very interesting project there for someome to pick up.

keep em' coming!

Dean

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From my newspaper index:-

Sunderland Echo 12/02/1922 Pope crowned amidst enthusiastic scenes in Rome.

9 children blown up in an abandoned arms dump near Friedland.

Barry

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Last year a number of rifles were discovered in the foundations when a former police station in - I think - Ipswich was demolished. Many of WW1 era, others earlier, believed to have been handed in after the laws covering souvenirs were passed in the 1920s.

Our own Chief Chum - AKA Taff Gillingham - was involved - he gets everywhere!

Adrian

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Unwanted Souvenir - Probably the saddest case in my index.

Durham County Advertiser 1st Sept. 1933

Inquest on death of Houghton man Thomas Henry Lawton (39) ex RFA, machine gun bullet and operating thread found in stomach, thread had caused a constriction.

Barry

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