andrew pugh Posted 3 July , 2023 Share Posted 3 July , 2023 Hi About 25 years ago I purchased a deactivated Stokes Mortar. It comes apart into 3 pieces. What I would like to know is how rare are they, or are they quite common item? Kind Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
museumtom Posted 4 July , 2023 Share Posted 4 July , 2023 2010 War and Peace Show, in Kent, £25 each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteStarLine Posted 4 July , 2023 Share Posted 4 July , 2023 53 minutes ago, museumtom said: 2010 War and Peace Show, in Kent, £25 each. £25 each ... You were ripped off. Free, in the fields of Pozieres (don't worry, I didn't go near the Stokes). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew pugh Posted 4 July , 2023 Author Share Posted 4 July , 2023 Hi Guy's Sorry for the late reply. Thanks for replying. As i stated I purchased a Stokes about 25 years ago I only payed a small amount for it, not £25. It has been emptied and purged of the explosives. It still has the pin and lever in situ, also it has the original wick. The person that deactivated it must of been a very confident person or a fool. I would not touch one if I found one in the fields, and I have come across many over the years on my visits to Northern France, I learnt my lesson some time ago when I picked up a small brass item about the size and shape of a pill box (tablets) it had a small square lever which fitted into a slot on the top, it also had a series of numbers on it. Periodically I would clean it and try to prise the lever up out of its slot. This went on for several months with no success. It looked so harmless. Then the bomb dropped, On our way home we stopped of at the Ulster Tower to say goodbye to Teddy, while there I noticed that he had a similar object in his museum. So I asked him what it was, he replied that it was an artillery detonator and he was close to one when it went of he said it made him deaf for about 3 days. At that point I went numb to think what I had been trying to to it over the months. I travelled home thinking about it all the way home to Suffolk. When I got home I took it down to our local river and threw it in, That's how I learnt not to pick up things that you don't recognise. I consider that a close shave. What If my wife picked it up and the lever sprung up and it went off. never again a lesson well learnt. Thanks for replying Kind Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrinvs Posted 5 July , 2023 Share Posted 5 July , 2023 I’m currently restoring one. Cost about £75 last year and is complete (less explosives) and fully strippable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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