Johannesburg Posted 14 June , 2006 Share Posted 14 June , 2006 Our tour guide showed us this whilst on a tour of Flanders a few weeks back - the farmer had put it at the side of the road for collection. It had been there about 4 weeks!!!!! Sorry having a real problem trying to attach the photo - any tips!!!!!! - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 14 June , 2006 Share Posted 14 June , 2006 Your image is almost certainly too big. Read the Help section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johannesburg Posted 15 June , 2006 Author Share Posted 15 June , 2006 Our tour guide showed us this whilst on a tour of Flanders a few weeks back - the farmer had put it at the side of the road for collection. It had been there about 4 weeks!!!!! Sorry having a real problem trying to attach the photo - any tips!!!!!! - many thanks Chris - got the picture on finally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregs_yorkley Posted 15 June , 2006 Share Posted 15 June , 2006 I recall our first trip to the battlefields in 1993, where some excavation was going on just beneath the Devonshire Cemetery. What was so amazing was that you could actually see the cross-section of the trench (complete with fire step), in the excavation (it was like they were digging the side of the hill away), and the mound of munitions by the side of the road measured about 6 feet long and 4 feet high! Needless to say we kept well away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted 15 June , 2006 Share Posted 15 June , 2006 On my first visit to the Somme I took a picture of a shell propped up next to a tree awaiting collection on the opposite side to the Pozieres windmill on the Baupame to Albert Road. Apparantly its called the iron harvest. Just shows how many 'dud' shells dropped during the Somme offensive. Liam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 15 June , 2006 Share Posted 15 June , 2006 I remember walking from Ginchy to Flers, then turning right to walk to (off the top of my head) Bull Road Cemetery. The farmer had just cleared the ditch at the right hand side of the lane and uncovered a huge howitzer shell and a buried cache of wine bottles. Pleasure and pain!! Cheers, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveBrigg Posted 15 June , 2006 Share Posted 15 June , 2006 On a Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition to the Somme we had arranged to meet our assessor at Delville Wood. Before I had realised what was happening, a friend had picked up a rusting Mills bomb and lobbed it onto one of the picnic tables for us to have a closer look. There followed a short but effective discussion regarding the wisdom of this move, but I believe he holds the record as the only person to complete a D of E expedition after having thrown a grenade at their supervisor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tafski Posted 16 June , 2006 Share Posted 16 June , 2006 some friend hope he had his ass kicked bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 17 June , 2006 Admin Share Posted 17 June , 2006 On an early visit to the Somme, my OH got chatting to a couple of blokes outside Devonshire cemetery. One of them opened the boot of their car and fished out a pineapple grenade and asked Wayne if he knew what it was. We beat a very hasty retreat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eceabat Posted 17 June , 2006 Share Posted 17 June , 2006 Liam, you mention the iron harvest in France. On the Gallipoli battlefields, or at least in the much farmed Suvla sector, old farmers have told my wife and I that preparing the fields for planting used to be known as ploughing the bullets. Cheers Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auimfo Posted 17 June , 2006 Share Posted 17 June , 2006 On return to our car parked next to a popular cemetery on the Somme, I notice that my wheel was covering an 18 pounder shell and several grenades. Of course I subtly mentioned to my wife that i would walk down the road a ways while she followed in the car. Mick I'm assuming you'd already checked on the life insurance policy and will situation like any good loving husband. Tim L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 17 June , 2006 Share Posted 17 June , 2006 Of course I'm a good husband....the only restriction is war, terrorism and acts of god. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soilsister Posted 29 June , 2006 Share Posted 29 June , 2006 this happens a lot ---- you need to phone and ask for collection but it takes a while --- i ve known a guy that had a full box of these on the side of his house for weeks and months when i was still living in belgium Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
healdav Posted 29 June , 2006 Share Posted 29 June , 2006 Go to Varlet Farm and Charlotte will show you pallet loads of everything you could mention. She rings the bombdisposal every six months or so. She says that if you put it by the road as you are supposed to it will disappear overnight into some collector's car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Birch Posted 29 June , 2006 Share Posted 29 June , 2006 Go to Varlet Farm and Charlotte will show you pallet loads of everything you could mention. She rings the bombdisposal every six months or so. She says that if you put it by the road as you are supposed to it will disappear overnight into some collector's car. I am sure none of the Pals would dream of trying to bring home unexploded ordnance in the boot of their car! But a word of warning to anyone even remotely tempted, it is not only very stupid and dangerous, but also illegal both in France and Belgium. Furthermore British Customs and the Tunnel/Ferry security authorities would take a very dim view. With heightened security tensions attempting to take explosives on board could well land someone in prison. There was an incident last year where a collector tried to take a battlefield find into Le Tunnel in his car. As a result the whole system was shut down for several hours causing massive disruption to thousands of travellers. I don't know what his punishment was in the end for the criminal offence, but there was talk of the Tunnel operaters bringing a civil action against him for the costs and loss of revenue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike10764 Posted 29 June , 2006 Share Posted 29 June , 2006 There was an incident last year where a collector tried to take a battlefield find into Le Tunnel in his car. As a result the whole system was shut down for several hours causing massive disruption to thousands of travellers. I don't know what his punishment was in the end for the criminal offence, but there was talk of the Tunnel operaters bringing a civil action against him for the costs and loss of revenue. And rightly so Tim, rightly so. It is about as crazy an idea as I can think of..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobfoster Posted 1 July , 2006 Share Posted 1 July , 2006 I appreciate that many of these shells may have been duds but could still be potentially dangerous. Could some of them contain gas or other noxious thing and still be as dangerous today as they were 90 years ago.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 2 July , 2006 Share Posted 2 July , 2006 There was an incident last year where a collector tried to take a battlefield find into Le Tunnel in his car. As a result the whole system was shut down for several hours causing massive disruption to thousands of travellers. I don't know what his punishment was in the end for the criminal offence, but there was talk of the Tunnel operaters bringing a civil action against him for the costs and loss of revenue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 2 July , 2006 Share Posted 2 July , 2006 There was an incident last year where a collector tried to take a battlefield find into Le Tunnel in his car. As a result the whole system was shut down for several hours causing massive disruption to thousands of travellers. I don't know what his punishment was in the end for the criminal offence, but there was talk of the Tunnel operaters bringing a civil action against him for the costs and loss of revenue. If there is any doubt whatsoever they authorities won't take any chances. a deactivated grenade or stokes mortar shell looks exactly the same as a live one. Most collectors and dealers I know will take the items apart before packing. Having had the experience of being arrested by a French customs and Artificer Specialist, I am neither stupid or reckless and in many trips have never carried anything illegal, because I couldn't account for 4 fuzes, field finds which had no gaines attached, I had everything confiscated from the fuzes to shrapnell balls, oiler found at mametz and several other nice pieces. So even if your sure what you have is legal, when you are in that room being threatened with a cell its best not to argue. It had a happy ending though, all i had to do was sign piece of paper saying i wouldn't do it again., well I think I did, his english was worse then my French. (I still check ebay regularly to see if they appear) Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 2 July , 2006 Share Posted 2 July , 2006 I'm staggered to hear that most collectors and dealers "take items apart before packing" !! I can tell you, from many years of experience in this field, that they dice with death, not just their own, but other peoples as well. There is only one rule for those who visit the battlefields, look but don't touch! Munitions were designed to kill, and still do so. Please, don't believe those who claim to be "experts" in the field, they won't be around to pick up your pieces. Terry Reeves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auchonvillerssomme Posted 2 July , 2006 Share Posted 2 July , 2006 I'm staggered to hear that "most collectors and dealers "take items apart before packing" !! I can tell you, from many years of experience in this field, that they dice with death, not just their own, but other peoples as well. There is only one rule for those who visit the battle fields, look but don't touch! Munitions were designed to kill, and still do so. Please, don't believe those who claim to be "experts" in the field, they won't be around to pick up your pieces. Terry Reeves I didnt make myself clear, I wasn't suggesting they took live ordnance apart and stored it in their cars, what sort of fool would do that? Deactivated ordnance which is purchased quite legally but which at first glance and probably to close inspection looks live. I wonder if this assumption that live ammunition is being brought across isn't becoming some sort of urban myth. How many prosecution have there been? anyone living in Dover have any newspaper reports of succesful prosecutions? I have only heard of the one which was mentioned in this thread earlier, what was the outcome? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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