museumtom Posted 22 January , 2012 Share Posted 22 January , 2012 Here we have something recently found and not moved. I would appreciate your opinions lads. Kins regards. Tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Tom Posted 22 January , 2012 Share Posted 22 January , 2012 Looks to me like a bomb, i.e. to be dropped from an aeroplane. Old Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
museumtom Posted 22 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 22 January , 2012 I thought that Tom, far from me to express an opinion on such things but would it be a practice bomb as there is no fuze in the nose? Kind regards. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbox Posted 22 January , 2012 Share Posted 22 January , 2012 What are the dimensions; whereabouts is it - ie clue to nationality? Looks like WW2 smoke bomb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
museumtom Posted 22 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 22 January , 2012 Found in an area that was never at war or bombed but did have a military presence. Dimensions I have no idea, the bottle looks about 140cm long. Regards. Tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 22 January , 2012 Share Posted 22 January , 2012 I thought that Tom, far from me to express an opinion on such things but would it be a practice bomb as there is no fuze in the nose? Kind regards. Tom Many (most?) aircraft bombs do not have a fuse in the nose. Often set in the side of the bomb (the shock of hitting the ground is more than enough to set them off). If it is post WW1 it would be more likely to have a fuse other than in the nose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 22 January , 2012 Share Posted 22 January , 2012 I thought that Tom, far from me to express an opinion on such things but would it be a practice bomb as there is no fuze in the nose? Kind regards. Tom Most aerial bombs do not have a nose fuze. I agree with Thunderbox that it looks like a practice or smoke bomb. Regards TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 22 January , 2012 Share Posted 22 January , 2012 Looking through the "Details of Aerial Bombs" published by the Air Ministry in 1918 it does not match any British WW1 bomb. However looking at the photo there appears to have been a ring round the vanes. This is typical of a WW2 bomb. Do not forget that the composition of many WW2 bombs crystallizes over time so they don't need a fuse to detonate them - a good sharp blow with a hammer will do the job - as happened to an unfortunate but gormless National Serviceman back in the late 1950s at Broadheath (where the RAF disposed of surplus and obsolete munitions) who thought he'd impress his mates by standing on a defused bomb and hitting it with a sledgehammer (it went off fourth hit just after they'd managed to dive into the shelter). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 22 January , 2012 Share Posted 22 January , 2012 Location is southern Ireland on the coast. Found in a moat in an area that was never at war or bombed but did have a military presence. Dimensions I have no idea, the bottle is about 140cm long. Regards. Tom. Erm wasn't all of Ireland at war in WW1? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
museumtom Posted 22 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 22 January , 2012 Mortar or aerial? Kind regards. Tom. 'Erm wasn't all of Ireland at war in WW1? ' you cannot get anything past you centurion, you are on the ball. Kind regards. Tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogilwy Posted 23 January , 2012 Share Posted 23 January , 2012 Tom, For some reason I can't get that picture, could you post another please? Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 23 January , 2012 Share Posted 23 January , 2012 Same here - no picture... Trajan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 23 January , 2012 Share Posted 23 January , 2012 The picture seems to have vanished. I saw it when the thread was started but it seems to have evaporated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogilwy Posted 23 January , 2012 Share Posted 23 January , 2012 That's reassuring! I just thought the MOD hadn't paid the picture bill again! Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
museumtom Posted 23 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 23 January , 2012 I went to the site it was on and its now its gone. I must have done something techie wrong, sorry lads, but its gone. Sorry. Tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogilwy Posted 25 January , 2012 Share Posted 25 January , 2012 Tom, That's a shame as identifying things like that is my day job so I probably could have helped! Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbox Posted 25 January , 2012 Share Posted 25 January , 2012 Tom, That's a shame as identifying things like that is my day job so I probably could have helped! Rod From (very fallible) memory, it looked something like this: A key feature was that the body appeared - at least to me - to be made of sheet steel sections joined by small external welded seams. The tail was crumpled, but it appeared that a strip of attached steel might be the remains of a circular shroud connecting the tail fins. I thought there might be a small circular feature on the tail section, but the whole thing was covered with dirt and corrosion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 25 January , 2012 Share Posted 25 January , 2012 I thought there might be a small circular feature on the tail section, but the whole thing was covered with dirt and corrosion. I saw that and wondered if it were a fuse. Its not a mortar round (which would anyway not have driving bands) and its not a shell (which would) still looks like a bomb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
museumtom Posted 25 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 25 January , 2012 Its turned out to be a smoke float and the EOD lads sorted it out. Cheers. Tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogilwy Posted 26 January , 2012 Share Posted 26 January , 2012 Tom, et al From the diagram (Thunderbox, good recall! I wish some of our 'experts' could give one so good! Their crayoned attempts sometimes can be awful.) A Smoke Float No1 Mk4 used during WW2 for ASW, It is intiated by a Tail Pistol that works using an impeller to give the delay from release to initiation (the item at the rear in between the tail fins). Air delivered munitions from that period that have enclosed fins generally are American in origin. Although as with all things this is not an absolute and other nations copied the style, either with or without permission. Smoke floats range from relatively harmless to downright dangerous (especially the cold war era ones!). I've worked with our Irish counterparts before they're good people, but you need to be wary of accepting invites for St Paddy's day celebrations from them, (it took about 3 days before I felt Ok the last time ) . Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbox Posted 27 January , 2012 Share Posted 27 January , 2012 Tom, et al From the diagram (Thunderbox, good recall! I wish some of our 'experts' could give one so good! Their crayoned attempts sometimes can be awful.) A Smoke Float No1 Mk4 used during WW2 for ASW, It is intiated by a Tail Pistol that works using an impeller to give the delay from release to initiation (the item at the rear in between the tail fins). Air delivered munitions from that period that have enclosed fins generally are American in origin. Although as with all things this is not an absolute and other nations copied the style, either with or without permission. Smoke floats range from relatively harmless to downright dangerous (especially the cold war era ones!). I've worked with our Irish counterparts before they're good people, but you need to be wary of accepting invites for St Paddy's day celebrations from them, (it took about 3 days before I felt Ok the last time ) . Rod Have you got a picture of a Smoke Float No1 Mk4? Its always nice to have final closure on a "what is this....?" thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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