At the weekend, my group and myself were digging at an old RAF base dump, and also MDing part of the area. It is difficult to MD a dump as the whole area is just one big signal, but with the discrim max'd out, it is possible to pinpoint brass and/or big items.
So this is what I took home.
Before cleaning.....


The big bits at the back of the above photo are the main plate for small ordnance bomb racks, better known as 'Carrier Bomb Light Stores' and can be seen in the diagram below. Not cleaned them yet thought


Now some of the items after cleaning.....

Merlin engine valve


A couple of nice Air Ministry (AM) stamped dials

Glim lamp disc.

Bomb arming solenoid. This sat in the bomb rack and pulled the safety wire from the fuze to arm the bombs.

No. 860 nose fuze, used on flares. It had a barometric pressure gauge inside that set the flare off at a set height above ground.

Diagrams of an 860.....


MD find.....the code on this light identified it as a tail light from a Mosquito


Another MD find, and one that caused me to swear a lot. Merlin engine exhaust stub from a Lancaster bomber !!!!!

And here is a pic of RAF groundcrew working on a Lancaster so you can see the stubs.

More cleaned bits.....

Mesh screen from inside a Merlin engine carburettor

Bits of a No. 860 fuze

Battered remains of a gun sight.

More cleaned bits....

303s

Headstamps on the 303s

No 27 bomb pistol arming fork and a No. 28/30 arming fork

Bomb transport nut. This was either removed prior to loading and a nose fuze fitted or, left in place to provide extra penetrating power and a tail fuze fitted.

This dump wouldn't be the same without finding a bucketful of bomb fuzes. These are all base units from either a No. 42 or No. 848 bomb nose fuze.


Some are really nicely marked





A great day and some awesome finds

Thanks for looking.
RRPG