Another object to identify

[bierlijn]

I spotted this in the German third line/battlezone area of the Messines offensive in an area there there were many German tunnelled dugouts. It's about 9" circumference, 15" long. It has an orifice at one end. Heavy but not massively heavy. I had a grope in the earth to see if there was a fuze of some sort, but nothing. Any ideas?

Hugh

[tootrock]

I suspect you mean 9" diameter rather than circumference!

Martin

[bierlijn]

And too late to make a quick edit now!

[Guest SFCB175]

It looks like a german gas cylinder

[bierlijn]

I've been back and measured the object, and it's 8" or 20cms, give or take a lot of rust. A Livens projector is about that diameter (not making that mistake again). Could it have been burning oil shell? - I once read that these were used during Messines

[Stoppage Drill]

"Heavy but not massively heavy ?"

You picked it up ?

Made a will ?

[bierlijn]

No project here has failed to bring up unexploded munitions. Once you've banged an object in the earth repeatedly with a spade, or found you've been dragging it around with the plough, picking it up and putting it at the side of the field to be collected does not seem to be the most dangerous moment of the day.