No 101 E Percussion Shell Fuse?

[8055Bell]

Hi All,

I was shown this fuse by the farmer between Shell / Mouse Trap Farm and Canadian Farm, near Wieltje.  The barn where he stored is is close to the line where a distant cousin was killed on 8th May 1915 - 2nd Ypres.  It says STECO on it and numbers including 101.

2 questions.

Can I assume a Flanders farmer knows that it's safe?

Is it a No 101e?  What does this mean?

 

Thanks

Tim

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Edited 13 July , 2016 by 8055Bell
Added pics

[peregrinvs]

Info on the No.101 fuze here:

 

http://www.passioncompassion1418.com/decouvertes/english_fusees_collection_gb.html#101

 

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30021002

 

Whilst you cannot say with 100% certainty from a photograph it is safe, it appears to have functioned correctly when fired + it has spent a century in the ground. i.e. I wouldn't have any personal qualms about possessing it. 

[8055Bell]

Thanks,

I'll now pollish it up a bit and hope for the best.  The section pic is really helpful as I can now understand the rusty steel at each end.

Will report back with any surprises.

T

[Terry_Reeves]

I would be wary of taking notice of anyone on here who says that a munition is safe just from a photograph, and how do you know that the respondent knows what he is talking about?  I wish you and your eyesight the best of luck.

 

TR

[8055Bell]

Agreed Terry,

I think Perrygrins was trying to be helpful with a serious caveat noted.  I think a Flanders farmer will be one of the best experts on what's safe.  Does that make sense in the context of the photos?  Is there anything I should look for?

 

Thanks

Tim

[Terry_Reeves]

Tim

 

A Flanders farmer is not likely to be an expert, just someone who has become inured  to finding such things. It was only a few years ago that a civilian lecturer at Sandhurst was killed by a WW2 fuse that he had  brought back brought back from a trip  the Western Desert. Munitions  are designed to to kill and they still do no matter how old they are. 

 

I am not prepared to give you any advice, that would be extremely foolish of me.

 

TR

[Seadog]

Heres some advice, try not to drop it on your foot that is the level of risk with this lump. I take that in the example above of someone being killed by a fuse this was because the gaine (tube fill with explosives) was still attached to the fuse itself whereas the one here has no such attachment as it has functioned as it should and ignited the gaine which in turn has detonated the explosive in the shell.

 

Norman

[Gunner Bailey]

Interesting that a recent news item on the BBC showed a foundry dropping WW1 fuzes into a furnace to be turned into badges and ornaments.

 

I assume that as a responsible firm they did a full risk assessment, checked with the French authorities that fired fuzes were safe and would not endanger their employees. Then the BBC made a film of it.

 

I think Norman has articulated the biggest risk.

[AOK4]

It seems safe to me (I've roamed the fields of Flanders for many years, collecting stuff like this for scrap metal). The charge at the bottom seems like it has detonated.

 

Jan

[peregrinvs]

News article here:

 

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/community/stories/remembrance/going-for-gold-the-somme-poppy/

 

Personally I'd rather they just cleaned them up as - from my perspective as an ordnance collector - they are destroying historical relics. Ah well, there will no doubt be dozens of fired WWI fuzes for sale at the War & Peace Show next week should anyone want one. Here's one such that decorates my desk.