RobL Posted 28 January , 2013 Share Posted 28 January , 2013 Spotted this spherical object at Hill 60 on Friday - anyone know what it is? Saw a similar item at the Sanctuary Wood Museum... possibly a sea mine or something maritime related? Struggling to see the Hill 60 link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 28 January , 2013 Share Posted 28 January , 2013 Difficult to tell from the photo how big it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobL Posted 28 January , 2013 Author Share Posted 28 January , 2013 About 4 foot diamater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morgan Posted 28 January , 2013 Share Posted 28 January , 2013 It is a sea-mine, Rob. For many years it used to stand outside the Hill 60 Museum across the road (now demolished). When the museum closed, this relic was left behind and someone rolled it down in to the shallow 1915 craters by the side of the road, where it can still be seen. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoppage Drill Posted 28 January , 2013 Share Posted 28 January , 2013 I remember sea mines at the Cloth Hall Museum and at Sanctuary Wood. I'm looking at a photo of one in "Before Endeavours Fade" right now, taken more than 35 years ago now, so in much better condition as you might expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobL Posted 28 January , 2013 Author Share Posted 28 January , 2013 Ahah! Thanks for the replies. It did stump me as I was assuming it was something relevant to the campaign there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 29 January , 2013 Share Posted 29 January , 2013 it is a British sea mine and it was already near the Sanctuary Wood or Hill 60 museum in the nineteenthirties Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Lees Posted 29 January , 2013 Share Posted 29 January , 2013 I presume they were used to 'dismantle' the concrete fortifications that littered the landscape after the war. Although there were plenty of munitions lying around, were the sea mines likely to have a more devastating effect on the dugouts, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoppage Drill Posted 29 January , 2013 Share Posted 29 January , 2013 No, the cases were complete and in fair condition as I recall them; it is rust, not explosion, that has taken it's toll and reduced them to the condition in Rob's photo. Perhaps they were included in the museums as a general war-related artefact, or were they used as collection boxes ? I don't recall, but it was quite common in seaside towns to see sea mine casings set up as charity collection boxes. So common in fact, that if I saw one being used for the purpose in or around Ypres it would have been unremarkable enough to have made little impression on my memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 29 January , 2013 Share Posted 29 January , 2013 Reason I asked about the size was to confirm that it is a sea mine. This has been discussed on the forum before and from memory they re nothing to do with WW1 directly. They were collection boxes for some charitable concern just as they used to be used in Britain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoppage Drill Posted 29 January , 2013 Share Posted 29 January , 2013 There you are. The Oracle has spoken. Thanks Centurion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 29 January , 2013 Share Posted 29 January , 2013 Collection box in Britain http://ih0.redbubble.net/image.7170506.8669/flat,800x800,070,f.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoppage Drill Posted 29 January , 2013 Share Posted 29 January , 2013 Do you still see them at the seaside ? Or are they un-PC nowadays ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 29 January , 2013 Share Posted 29 January , 2013 I think that during my schooldays there was once one in Sale which is far from a maritime community (if you don't count the Bridgewater Canal). Long long gone but I think it got moved to one of the parks (possibly Walton Road) for a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high wood Posted 29 January , 2013 Share Posted 29 January , 2013 There was and probably still is, one at Alnmouth, Northumberland. Used to collect money for the RNLI if I remember correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulfrik-the-wanderer Posted 30 January , 2013 Share Posted 30 January , 2013 I remember from my travels aroud this country with family and reenactment that I have actually seen a few of these sea mine collection boxes in different places... don't ask me where though as I can't remember :s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wainfleet Posted 30 January , 2013 Share Posted 30 January , 2013 When I lived in Dover in about 1960 there was one on the seafront. It was still there the last time I was in Dover, which must be six or seven years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 30 January , 2013 Share Posted 30 January , 2013 they were not used as collection boxes, purely as eye catchers. Thousands of this type of British sea mine were washed ashore during WW at the Belgian coast. Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 30 January , 2013 Share Posted 30 January , 2013 they were not used as collection boxes, purely as eye catchers. Thousands of this type of British sea mine were washed ashore during WW at the Belgian coast. Cnock Thousands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 30 January , 2013 Share Posted 30 January , 2013 Uploaded with ImageShack.us British sea mine at Hill 62 in 1939 already in 1914 eye-witness said that the Belgian coast was littered with British mines, the Germans piled them up and send them to Germany, or used them for ornament at their coastal batteries, cemeteries, etc. shortly after WWI they still kep washing ashore Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 9 February , 2013 Share Posted 9 February , 2013 URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/708/kn1o.jpg/][/url] Uploaded with ImageShack.us In the Interbellum there were so many British MKIII mines left on the beaches that they were used as decoration in the coastal area Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 9 February , 2013 Share Posted 9 February , 2013 Uploaded with ImageShack.us or used to put flowers in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 9 February , 2013 Share Posted 9 February , 2013 Uploaded with ImageShack.us ...or piled up in the local musea regards Cnock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislock Posted 9 February , 2013 Share Posted 9 February , 2013 I presume they were used to 'dismantle' the concrete fortifications that littered the landscape after the war. Although there were plenty of munitions lying around, were the sea mines likely to have a more devastating effect on the dugouts, etc? I have also read this but without source that sea mines were used to blow up the re-inforced concrete bunkers in the 50's & 60's. The example at Hill 60 is however the remains most probably from the former Hill 60 museum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnock Posted 9 February , 2013 Share Posted 9 February , 2013 Hi Chris, before WWII there were several small museums in the area no doubt it is from one of those cheers, Eddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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