Amazing finds

[zippy.72]

Found at Serre where the 12th Battalion KOYLIS were on 1st July 1916

[Andy Wade]

Fantastic link I am impressed. The Soul of Fred Dibnah lives on. I especially like the quote 'A price was agreed upon'.

Mick

Hmmm yes, I liked it too.

As a secret tinkerer and self confessed 'squirreller' (is that a word?) of shiny things in a former life I can identify with the restoration although I've never attempted such a thing I go a bit moist at traction engine rallies when I walk along the rows of beautifully restored wagons.

[trenchtrotter]

Zippy,

Cracking find. How long ago was it recovered? Nice to see that you never attempted to clean it. Its how it should be!

Regards

TT

[zippy.72]

Zippy,

Cracking find. How long ago was it recovered? Nice to see that you never attempted to clean it. Its how it should be!

Regards

TT

Found 3 weeks ago. Even more amazing was the fact that the ground was mostly covered in snow. It was just laying there waiting for me!! We did a careful check of the area too to make sure that there were no remains. There were about 40 casualties that day. Makes you wonder if it was one of those brave men.

[zippy.72]

Stumbled (not literally thankfully!!) across this in a field near Newfoundland Park last weekend. There was another of the same shell type approx 50 yards away from this one.

I am referring to the shell and not the lighter!!!!

I have a lighter just like that!!

shovel and Mills. The SRD and these were along Wagon Road.

The Mills is in brilliant condition. Even as recently as 3 years ago, we used to come across quite a few. Now they are non-existent

[KIRKY]

Shoulder title form Serre is great, trying to locate where they were at Serre ?

Tony

[warbuff1]

So jealous Zippy been looking for a shoulder title for years and especially that one as being from god's country myself . Will keep looking in 2 weeks time, I'm bound to find one at some point even if it takes me years..lol

Wayne

[KIRKY]

Will keep looking in 2 weeks time, I'm bound to find one at some point even if it takes me years..lol

not if we get there first!

Tony

[warbuff1]

If you have a spare one left over bury it and let me know the coordinates

Wayne

[trenchtrotter]

Having spoken to Tafski yesterday I know they had a nice find...however I think they will reveal all on their thread in Pals section.

TT

[Mick D]

Where exactly was the Durham title found ?

Mick

[CROONAERT]

Weslyan 'Active Service Hymn Book' found near Boesinge 1997 (amongst other things!)...

[kiwianzac]

One of the most prolific areas for very larges pieces of rum jar is in the field adjacent to the New Zealand Memorial.

Heres a couple of bottles, the Codd was found at Thistle Dump.

Mick

Haha..not surprised there was a lot of rum jars around the kiwi area!!! Thats brilliant!

You guys are so lucky to be close to these places..its a long trip from over here in NZ........

Has anyone got pics of 'discovered' New Zealand badges/equipment??

[Ogilwy]

Haha..not surprised there was a lot of rum jars around the kiwi area!!! Thats brilliant!

You guys are so lucky to be close to these places..its a long trip from over here in NZ........

Has anyone got pics of 'discovered' New Zealand badges/equipment??

Kiwi,

My other half is a Kiwi who now resides over here. She as also an archaeologist the same as myself (day time job's permitting!). As members of No mans Land and with invitations from other archaeological organisations we dig regularly on the Battlefields.

As you will be aware from other posts and the documentries that we have made all of our finds go to museums or other public displays, after all of the archaeological recording and investigation has been completed. I do have a few pictures of items found that I'm sure will not infringe on other members from NML's publications and if you think appropriate I can post a few of these?

My other half is currently in contact with the RSA in NZ regarding several matters and passes information to them regularly when matters of ANZAC interest crop up. to digress slightly, the annual mainainence of the Bulford Kiwi will be taking place on Anzac day so watch out and I'll get her to post a couple of pic's (prior to them going to NZ for the RSA).

My other reason for posting is a personal point from myself. As some members of the forum are aware I am a serving EOD officer and always pay particular attention to all things ammunition related. I am most gratified reading this thread at the amount of people helping our cause by constantly reminding others that these items are still leathal after all these years and that to quote a colleague, "Unlike good wine, ammunition does not get better with age"! Please keep up the good work, everytime someone listens to the voice of experience it may just be the one occasion that prevents a loud and messy incident from occuring.

I shall return to lurking in the background, but if anyone is interested in pictures of items found being posted (including some from the fallen series' (but not those from the bar in the evening)) I will be more than happy.

RS

[Andy Wade]

I shall return to lurking in the background, but if anyone is interested in pictures of items found being posted (including some from the fallen series' (but not those from the bar in the evening)) I will be more than happy.

RS

Any chance you could put some online in a photobucket or flickr album and post a link here? I find this stuff fascinating, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that. Although I've been to the battlefields I didn't do any field walking for finds so if I can do it by proxy then I'd be happy with that.

[auchonvillerssomme]

The soil is really dry and breaking up here at the moment, not good for field walking, we need some rain on it, although we found a nice French button and a dozen fired Lebel cartridges in one place on the Auchonvillers side of Hawthorn Ridge yesterday all of the cases I can read were dated '03. And an oiler and pullthrough from the front of Sheffield Park, the second one this week. I will post some more pics at the end of the week.

[warbuff1]

Rain on its way next week I think..Just in time for my visit.. . Have many fields been alreday ploughed and tilled or are they still just being turned over?

Wayne

[auchonvillerssomme]

Plenty of tilling going on, but some nice fields still, The deep ploughing didn't last long with the snow and frosts. Around Ovillers looks promising still.

I'm going for a look at Guedecourt and Flers tomorrow.

[geoffri]

First post here and just had to add a comment. Battle Fields last year and I was in that Cafe/Museum opposite the Hooge Crater Cemetery, my mate had just bought a percussion fuse from the souvenir shop display, I thought I would have one but there was none in that 'just found' condition so I decided not to bother, just then a guy pulled up on a scooter, sold a bucket full of stuff to the proprietor and yes you guessed it, there on the top of the bucket was that 'just found' percussion fuse, 10 euros well spent I thought didn't catch how much the proprietor handed over for the bucket full

Geoff

[Tony Ring]

Kiwi,

My other half is a Kiwi who now resides over here. She as also an archaeologist the same as myself (day time job's permitting!). As members of No mans Land and with invitations from other archaeological organisations we dig regularly on the Battlefields.

As you will be aware from other posts and the documentries that we have made all of our finds go to museums or other public displays, after all of the archaeological recording and investigation has been completed. I do have a few pictures of items found that I'm sure will not infringe on other members from NML's publications and if you think appropriate I can post a few of these?

My other half is currently in contact with the RSA in NZ regarding several matters and passes information to them regularly when matters of ANZAC interest crop up. to digress slightly, the annual mainainence of the Bulford Kiwi will be taking place on Anzac day so watch out and I'll get her to post a couple of pic's (prior to them going to NZ for the RSA).

My other reason for posting is a personal point from myself. As some members of the forum are aware I am a serving EOD officer and always pay particular attention to all things ammunition related. I am most gratified reading this thread at the amount of people helping our cause by constantly reminding others that these items are still leathal after all these years and that to quote a colleague, "Unlike good wine, ammunition does not get better with age"! Please keep up the good work, everytime someone listens to the voice of experience it may just be the one occasion that prevents a loud and messy incident from occuring.

I shall return to lurking in the background, but if anyone is interested in pictures of items found being posted (including some from the fallen series' (but not those from the bar in the evening)) I will be more than happy.

RS

Hi

Can you come out from lurking in the background long enough to post some photos of found items.

I could watch this thread all day !!!!

Tony

[Andy Wade]

This could easily turn into an 'I can wee higher up the wall than you' competition...

But before that happens, Here's a nice little thing I found on a dive quite a few years ago. In perfect nick and complete with all the impregnated discs:

[Andy Wade]

And there's more. This wouldn't be anything special really but for the fact that it's not been fired and is just as it came out of the box on the shipwreck I was diving.:

[kiwianzac]

Kiwi,

My other half is a Kiwi who now resides over here. She as also an archaeologist the same as myself (day time job's permitting!). As members of No mans Land and with invitations from other archaeological organisations we dig regularly on the Battlefields.

As you will be aware from other posts and the documentries that we have made all of our finds go to museums or other public displays, after all of the archaeological recording and investigation has been completed. I do have a few pictures of items found that I'm sure will not infringe on other members from NML's publications and if you think appropriate I can post a few of these?

My other half is currently in contact with the RSA in NZ regarding several matters and passes information to them regularly when matters of ANZAC interest crop up. to digress slightly, the annual mainainence of the Bulford Kiwi will be taking place on Anzac day so watch out and I'll get her to post a couple of pic's (prior to them going to NZ for the RSA).

My other reason for posting is a personal point from myself. As some members of the forum are aware I am a serving EOD officer and always pay particular attention to all things ammunition related. I am most gratified reading this thread at the amount of people helping our cause by constantly reminding others that these items are still leathal after all these years and that to quote a colleague, "Unlike good wine, ammunition does not get better with age"! Please keep up the good work, everytime someone listens to the voice of experience it may just be the one occasion that prevents a loud and messy incident from occuring.

I shall return to lurking in the background, but if anyone is interested in pictures of items found being posted (including some from the fallen series' (but not those from the bar in the evening)) I will be more than happy.

RS

Hi

Thats great...especially the maintenance on the Bulford Kiwi! Any pics greatly appreciated mate.

Richard.

[Ogilwy]

This could easily turn into an 'I can wee higher up the wall than you' competition...

But before that happens, Here's a nice little thing I found on a dive quite a few years ago. In perfect nick and complete with all the impregnated discs:

Andy, Tony,

I'm on duty currently but on my return home at the weekend I shall post a few pictures.

Andy, I don't think this would become a 'size competition' and would hate it if it did so. I see this as an opportunity to share the things we see with the other forum members without the need for averice or boasting.

On the other hand, unfortunately the 'job' computer will not allow me to view pictures but I'm sure your latest post will be of interest. Unfortunately I currently have no idea what they are, so a surprise for the weekend! I shall do this in between researching WWI Austrian pistol ammunition and trench mortars used in 1916 by the Germans that they obtained from the Austrians!

Rod

[Andy Wade]

Andy, Tony,

I'm on duty currently but on my return home at the weekend I shall post a few pictures.

Andy, I don't think this would become a 'size competition' and would hate it if it did so. I see this as an opportunity to share the things we see with the other forum members without the need for averice or boasting.

On the other hand, unfortunately the 'job' computer will not allow me to view pictures but I'm sure your latest post will be of interest. Unfortunately I currently have no idea what they are, so a surprise for the weekend! I shall do this in between researching WWI Austrian pistol ammunition and trench mortars used in 1916 by the Germans that they obtained from the Austrians!

Rod

Well it was an off the cuff comment! Should have added a smiley eh?

You're right about the sharing. There have indeed been some amazing finds shown in this thread. My favourite so far is the 'Yorkshire' shoulder badge which for me as a Yorkshireman, would be a truly wonderful item to find.

My pictures show a timer fuse for a shrapnel shell, the type with a scale around it for 'seconds before detonation'. There have been quite a few similar ones shown on the forum but this one still has the domed cover complete with the 'peel off tab' and all the internal impregnated discs are still intact as it hasn't been fired. It's in excellent condition despite its 70 odd years under water and it came from the SS Volnay cargo vessel which wrecked during a storm off the South Coast. The fuse is dated 1917 and the cargo was mostly made up of these things packed in boxes of four. There were a lot of resin coated lead shrapnel balls laying all over the seabed and when I came to the fuse, it was just lying on the seabed waiting to be picked up - it looked like a large egg at first. I fanned the silt lightly and two others appeared so I picked them up too. The visibility soon deteriorated and we swam on into clearer water. I dare say the wooden box was underneath with the shell case and the rest of the balls. There were bits of broken boxes laying around too. Now I think about it, I should have brought some of them up too for preservation.

I gave one of the three fuses to the history student from Bradford University who was diving with me (she was delighted!) and a few years ago I gave another to an archaeologist/history teacher in Bradford who was intending teaching the history of modern warfare so naturally he was delighted too. This is the best one I found (naturally) and it occupies a spot on my desk here at home and I have shown it to just about everyone who's interested.

Marks on the cover are:

I M. Co.

Marks on the 'peel off tab' on the cover:

Lot 673

1917

M & S.Co

(I'll denote the broad arrow like this: ^ )

Marks on the fuse are:

Bottom edge:

^ AE ^ in a 'stamped oval' shape, then ^ AE again

First ring graduated scale from 0 to 21 seconds

Second ring:

Stamped with a 5 upside down and a single mark which lines up with the graduated scale. There's a bulge on it to allow it to be turned.

Inside the bottom section (which unscrews) you can see the underside of the fuse which is stamped with:

No 80 VII N E. Co.

673 IMCO 1H7 (The H is in a stamped shield shape)

Edit:

I'm just editing this to add that because they were 'as new' when found, these three fuses were actually still live, and were cleaned of all nasties by a Royal Navy armourer before being returned to us (rather surprisingly). And he gave me a good old fashioned Navy style 'ticking off' for bringing them up before he did.

This is why I'm happy to have it sitting on my desk, safe in the knowledge that it's just the brass body without anything latent waiting inside.

Edited 20 March , 2010 by Andy Wade