another explosion

[charlotte cardoen-descamps]

I have just seen the evening news in which was told that a french trench mortar has exploded in Bikschote while a farmer was sowing a crop. This mortar contained 10 kilos of explosives. As a result of that the sowing machine was completely destroyed and even the tractor was badly damaged. The damage is expected to be as high as 50000 euros. According to the news report the farmer will be able to claim compensation of a fund that covers damage as a result of exploding Great War ammunition. The farmer wasn't injured but seems to be in a shock.

The bomb disposal which was called for, later found another 2 trench mortars on the same field...

I have heard of explosions before, but I have seldom seen such a damage to equipment. Once more it makes clear to what extend the Great War still affects daily live in the Salient...

Charlotte

[CROONAERT]

I remember witnessing such an occurance in about 1991 near Thiepval. I was on foot about half a mile from where a farmer was ploughing.Just as I passed the tractor there was a loud bang and an awful grating noise. I turned round just in time to see the remains of the plough falling back to earth.The tractor had been knocked onto its side. I rushed over, fearing the worst, but a very shaken farmer climbed out and stared disbelievingly at the wreckage.When I got to him, he'd regained his composure and was Ok. However, when he examined his plough and tractor, I heard him mention some French words that I didn't understand - I never did find them in a dictionary!

Dave.

[Max Poilu]

1991 was a black year for the legacy of the Great War on the Western Front - more than 30 farmers were killed in France as a result of un-exploded munitions detonating - a staggering and little known stastic.

Since the late forties over 400 munitions clearance workers have also been killed in France. Source - "Aftermath - The Remnants of War" by Donovan Webster - a truly fascinating read.

This being one of my favourite books, I was amazed to see a documentary of the very same name on Discovery chanel last night - showing the French demineurs at work clearing shells etc - brave men.

[Annette Burgoyne]

The farmer wasn't injured but seems to be in a shock

Charlotte - I bet he was shocked, if I was a farmer in France/Flanders I would use a armered tractor juct in case Glad the farmer was OK.

Annette

[Hedley Malloch]

if I was a farmer in France/Flanders I would use a armered tractor juct in case Glad the farmer was OK.

This is not too removed from reality. It used to be a condition of French farmers' insurance policies that their ploughs were protected with blast-proof plating.

[Paul Reed]

That sounds like an urban myth Hedley... none of the Somme farmers I know have ever had armoured tractors or specially plated ploughs... on the whole they don't perceive it as a major risk. Certainly very few farmers have been killed or injured in recent years, when you compare this to the number of 'collectors' who have blown themselves up!

[Tim Birch]

Paul

One hears about "collectors" blowing themselves up. Are there any statistics?

Regarding farmers, I would not have thought it would be too much of a problem to weld an armour plate onto the back and underside of the tractor seat extending up above head level (similar to that installed to bomber pilots seats in WW2) to at least afford some protection against shapnel. I know the risk is decreasing, but it still exists, and if I was a farmer in a high risk area I think I would be inclined to improvise something along these lines.

Tim

[Hedley Malloch]

Paul : I stress that it used to be an insurance company requirement; whether or not it was observed in practice is an interesting question. I am talking about a plate over the plough to protect the farmer should a shell explode. I am sure it isn't used anymore.

Statistics are hard to come by but there are reported in the local papers; there are usually a couple of fatalities every year and many more injuries. Occasionally there are reports of whole houses burning down when something explodes in a collector's house and sets off a chain reaction in the rest of the collection. Contrary to popular belief this stuff gets more dangerous with the passing years. The new ammunition disposal plant opened in Eastern France, to which the dump in Loos was moved, has reduced human intervention to an absolute minimum. Shells are identified by chromotography and x-ray and I think neutralised by dissolving them in acid.

The figure of 600 demineurs killed is revealing: these guys know what they are doing - and they die. The worst case in recent times occured in Belgium when four demineurs were killed in one explosion in the early 80s. The protective armour they all wear is used only to ensure that there will be sufficient human remains to enable a funeral with a coffin shoud there be an explosion.

And you don't have to be a collector to be in danger. One of the worst incidents involving civilians happened when a car carrying four teenagers left the road and careered into a pile of shells awaiting collection. All four were killed in the resulting explosion.

So be warned: unexploded ammunition has no memory of time or place. And drive carefully ... very carefully.

[Mark A]

Funny you should mention 1991 as being a bad year. I was on the Somme that year and distinctly remember an incident near Mametz Wood. I was driving down that rough track to the 38th Division Memorial and was stopped by a farmer (his tractor was across the farm track) saying that a gas shell was going off further along the track and in one of the fields.

Needless to say, I took his advice and tried to reverse- and managed to get my rear wheels stuck in the mud and had to helped out by the same farmer. I remember he was laughing saying something along the lines of "you British, haven't you caused enough problems with your gas shells and stuck cars!". Anyway, this thread just reminded me of that...

M

[paul guthrie]

On National Public Radio this AM they spoke with a lady about land mines and the refusal of the USA to join the treaty which I find appalling and typical of the arrogance of this bunch. Anyway, she said the latest year French statistics are available is 1996 and 36 farmers were killed by mines. I think if the statistic is correct or close the cause is not mines but other ordinance.

[uncle bill]

When you think about all the conflicts that have taken place in France it's hardly surprising that unexploded munitions continue to take life. When I lived in Normandy a local man was killed when sawing through a tree. An anti tank round hand gone into the tree in 44 and the said tree had continued growing around it. In the Vosges and Ardennes regions the lumber mills have special metal detecting devices before the wood is cut.

This reminds me of an incident back in 98. We had just visited the Serre copses and cemeteries and had noticed a small pile of grenades by the cemetery wall. As we were leaving a family turned up and we left for a cuppa at Avril's. The family turned up later and we got chatting. We were asked if old grenades were dangerous. They had picked one up and had it in the boot of the car !!

[Hedley Malloch]

There's a small piece in today's La Voix du Nord about the amount of unexploded WW1 ammunition in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais still being found today. It is estimated that 800,00O tons of live shells and bombs are still in the ground in Northern France alone. They are now being recovered at the rate of 150-200 tons a year; at this rate it will take 700 years to clear the old battlefields of old ammunition.

[Ralph J. Whitehead]

When you read the German accounts of numerous French and British dud shells in the regimental histories I am not surprised about seeing threads like this or the gas shell thread just posted. Apparently the Ancre ground is full of them as the soil was soft and few exploded, the same on hill 110 where numerous French shells never went off.

There was at least one account of 12 heavy shells hitting near Mouquet Farm, 15 inch size, all were duds. I saw too many of them on the few trips I made to the Somme and Belgium and give them a wide berth.

Ralph