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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Battlefield Discoveries


cooper

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Hi all

i am fortunate to live on the somme and go field walking occaisionaly. I have never used a metal detector, just my eyes, and have been lucky enough to find ssome interesting objects. The best (or worst) being a soldiers dog tag. i

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Hi all

i live on the somme and go field walking occaisionaly. I have never used a metal detector, just my eyes, and have been lucky enough to find some interesting artifacts/objects.

I have seen the mess that metal detectors make when they have finished a "dig". Normaly they dig in woods, banks etc, and iv also seen what happens when they are caught. If you are caught with a metal detector your car is taken away from you aswell as a fine.

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I do recommend the cafe as the amount and variation of relics on view are quite something.

Quite a few have been mounted in a mock up trench system, the relics even include Vickers, Lewis' and Maxims'. A fascinating display

James

You might want to consider the iussues of preservation when you next visit. That's real kit and some of it is quite rare, I am told. It's sitting out in all weathers just rotting away!

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I thought that exact thing when I visited in september, does he have an endless supply of objects to be displayed, or are the items on display in the process of slowly rotting/rusting away ?

(I wonder how long his display has been on show)

Mick D

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It is a strange and curious thing ... souvenier hunting - historical archeology - grave robbing.

It's all perspective. I know I treasure my shrapnel ball. I have a stone from atop Harold's dealth marker.

If EVERYBODY took these things ...we'd have nothing left - kinda like Plymouth Rock (now, Plymouth Pebble) ...

I envy the Victory timber above ... relics are important to people.

Andy1's comment on the "darker side" is true ... I think I'd be rather upset ... but, then, who am I to judge ...

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So do we leave items where they are: Out of respect for the individual who my have lost them? or because they are important archeological artifacts which will, in any case be removed from the dig and placed in a box in a storeroom in a museum and never seen? I don't know the answer, what i do have is a very nice shilling dated 1915 found near Redan Ridge a couple of days ago, according to the comments on here I should have taken a picture of it and left it where it was, reported it to the CWGC in case there was a body nearby, completed an archaeological dig of the area using it as a reference point or handed it to the farmer. I'm so confused i admit ive kepy it with my other finds found while walking.

Mick

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post-1365-1163887630.jpg

This is an object I photographed in Bayenwald Wood on a visit I did'nt try to dig it up as I said I just took a photo.

John

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So you should because its very large, rusty, dirty and makes an awful mess of the car. and I should know.

Mick

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One other thing..it may well have been 'civilianised' after the war for farm use by having the point turned down....the vast majority in use today have the point turned over.

Mick

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  • 2 weeks later...

Walking up the Redan ridge to visit my uncle's grave I would have loved to have found some momento, hopefully a spent bullet which I would have taken home where I could gaze at it and think of who could have placed it in his rifle/m.g. when he pulled the trigger did it hit someone or just ended up in the mud after the effort of manufacturing it, transporting it, carrying it into battle,aiming and firing it. Guess i,m just an old romantic.

Denizon

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  • 2 weeks later...

A couple of years ago, whilst walking on Redan Ridge, I could have made quite a cairn of the rusting metal on the surface. However, I just picked up one pice and pocketted it. Upon examination later, it was a rusted and fused pocket knife.

Whose was it? Did he just drop it? Did he survive?

Few things render a Year 9 class more quiet than passing it around the classroom and asking them to think as they handle it.

Bruce

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Not only The Little Big Horn , it seems the fields of The First World War also can also reveal their secrets to those who know how to dig.

I think the reason people take these bits is the power they hold. I'm not sure people are the only thing with souls. The artifacts in those old battlefields have an energy that affects the people who touch them, and I wonder if the intensity of feeling that one gets in Mametz Woods Or Delville Woods or Verdun isn't the result of the quantity of men and material still laying there.

Because of that there is no excuse for trophy hunting.

That said, at the same time it is normal, because of that energy contained , that people feel the need to pick up what they stumble upon.

I'm not sure that it would be so horrible a thing if all the material found a place on a shelf somewhere, to be looked on and contemplated... or even forgotten.

And all the bones found and laid to rest.

And those fields finally at Peace once again.

And while we should not forget what those people/soldiers suffered and gave up. There is a danger in glorifying sacrifice. The preserved battlefields have not stopped wars.

The greatest tribute to those who fought is Peace.

John

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