Spirit Posted 19 November , 2014 Share Posted 19 November , 2014 From the Wiltshire Intelligencer reporting on WW1 activity in schools - 'Schools organised foraging parties in autumn 1917 to gather blackberries for jam, acorns and chestnuts for ammunitions. Longbridge Deverill school collected 50 bushels of acorns in response to a request from the Royal Naval Cordite Factory in Dorset. Ivy Lane school, Chippenham reported that its pupils collected 1.5 tons of chestnuts and altogether the town’s schools collected 6 tons. What on earth have acorns and chestnuts to do with ammunition manufacture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wade Posted 19 November , 2014 Share Posted 19 November , 2014 I had a quick scan on t'interweb about this just a couple of weeks ago as I'd heard about this before. Apparently... the starch content could be used in the process to make acetone which was a component in the production of the explosives. But also, apparently... several hundred tons of conkers rotted away in storage as they turned out to be not quite as efficient as had been hoped and the experiment was abandoned. Edited to add:Here's what I read: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01s4xcw http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/0/ww1/25318729 https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/listing/showcase/heritage-highlights/conkers-help-win-fww Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoppage Drill Posted 19 November , 2014 Share Posted 19 November , 2014 Conkers collected as a source of acetone, needed as a solvent in the manufacture of propellants and explosives. As an interesting aside, the shortage was solved as the result of a process developed by Chaim Weizmann. It is widely accepted that Weizmann's reward was the promise of a homeland in Palestine for the Jewish race (Balfour Declaration), Weizmann, then a biochemist at Manchester U was a prominent Zionist and subsequently the first President of the state of Israel. His son was killed in action as an RAF pilot in WW2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianjonesncl Posted 20 November , 2014 Share Posted 20 November , 2014 Children collecting chestnuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geraint Posted 21 November , 2014 Share Posted 21 November , 2014 Conkers and acorns were gathered during the later years of the war to be turned into charcoal and used for gasmask filters. School children and PoWs in Ruthin gathered tons of them according to local newspaper reports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Tom Posted 18 December , 2014 Share Posted 18 December , 2014 Collection of horse chestnuts continued in WW2. I remember picking up lots. I think we were given a few pence per hundredweigth (cwt). Old Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonraker Posted 18 December , 2014 Share Posted 18 December , 2014 Given the opening post relates to Wiltshire, I'll just add that the children of Stanton St Bernard in the Vale of Pewsey collected acorns and chestnuts to provide acetone for the munitions industry. I wonder how this was organised: at county level or through the initiative of individual schools? Moonraker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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