WW2 gunnery range - Impromptu visit

[RRPG]

Hi All

Nothing terribly exciting here, but it has been a while since I last went out detecting, and I didn't want you all thinking I had jacked it in !!!! Just been very busy of late and not able to get out.

Anyway, an unscheduled visit to my mothers holiday place over in Norfolk meant I could sneak in an early (5am), visit to a gunnery range I have visited before. This place has yielded thousands of cartridge cases, (mainly 303s), over the years I've been going. This time around I went for the bigger calibre small arms stuff, dropped by the aircraft that used the area for ground strafing practice. As soon as I reached the area I was pulling up 303s after every step and, after half an hour, had got used to the tone they gave. I then started to ignore the signals the 303s gave and only dug the higher tones. 303s were giving a mid tone signal, or sometimes a mid/high tone mix.......the bigger stuff was giving a purely high tone signal. This allowed me to concentrate on the spent cartridges from the strafing aircraft.

Here is the result.

IMG_2475.JPG

The cork handled knife appears relatively modern, and is marked 'Uddeholm', a Swedish knife manufacturer.

Some nice 50cals, all of which are St Louis 1944. The two 20mms were a surprise as it has been a while since I last found any in the area. I also found a few 9mm, 45cals and a No 36M base plug. The coins are modern. A good mix of finds and quite usual for this site. I could have brought 200+ 303s back with me but I didn't see much point as I already have 3000 !!!



Everything is in the rock tumbler being cleaned.......I'll post up some photos later

Steve T

[Peter Pearce]

Hi mate I can't help thinking you put yourself at risk where aircraft munitions are involved. Some years ago now I lost a mate who blew himself to pieces tinkering with such things that he picked up.please take great care mate, Pete.

[RRPG]

Peter - Many thanks for your concern. I can assure you that, after many MANY years digging nothing but WW2 ordnance, I have developed techniques and 'rules' that keep me safe. As chairman of the WW2 Relic Retrieval & Preservation Group, (RRPG - hence my forum 'name'), I ensure both myself and my members abide by one overarching rule......

If you can't be 100% certain, (and I mean 100%, not 99.9%), that what you are digging is safe, leave it alone and call the authorities.

I also instil in all my members, and members of this forum, that no relic is worth a finger, hand, arm, foot, leg or life. The risk is simply not worth taking. Any live ordnance I come across is always referred to the correct authorities and my collection at home contains nothing but legal and safe relics.

The biggest mistake people make, and I have seen it time and time again, is that they assume that ordnance that has been buried for 70 odd years must be safe. This is hardly ever the case and, indeed, many items become more unstable over time. Ordnance is designed to kill people and it will, given the chance or the smallest amount of fiddling, still quite happily do so.

The area I was searching I know well and I also know where the target/aiming points were. I steer clear of these as they will be full of unexploded 20mm cannon shells and other items which don't take kindly to being dug up.

[RRPG]

Headstamp time

Nearly all the fifties are St Louis, with the exception of one....



....which is Twin Cities. Always very feint to TW headstamp.



The 20mm are nicely marked, although one is cause for considerable debate as to its origin. BBC = Bridgeport Brass Co., Bridgeport, CT (who exported large quantities of cases to the UK during WW 2) OR BBC = Barking Brassware Co, Barking, Essex. Some say that Barking Brassware were only a very small outfit and not able to produce large quantities of 20mm ammo, and others say that the four digit date stamp is US not UK. There is also debate over the type of font used.

As for the BMARC (British Manufacturing & Research Co), the stamp on this I always presume to mean Mark I ('I'), nitrocellulose fill ('Z'), incendiary ('B' in a diamond), and the calibre, (20mm).



No 36m nicely dated base plug

[Peter Pearce]

Hi RRPG thanks for your reply I was only interested in safety but am very happy to know you are something of an expert on this subject. I am leading a dig on a war time American site , this was their accommodation area Nisan huts and vehicle parking area so I don't expect lots of munitions. I have an ex military weapons and munitions expert attending as a safety measure. I would welcome any advice you may have as this is my first search of this kind. I have a couple of Military Archaeologists in attendance and all items found will be recorded and handed over too the Village when we have completed our two day search. I think I have covered most bases but you may have further advice for me and it would be very welcome. The searcher has just dropped through my letter box , how great it should arrive on my Birthday, 68 today and so much more to achieve. All the best Pete.

[Wansdyke44]

Hi RRPG thanks for your reply I was only interested in safety but am very happy to know you are something of an expert on this subject. I am leading a dig on a war time American site , this was their accommodation area Nisan huts and vehicle parking area so I don't expect lots of munitions. I have an ex military weapons and munitions expert attending as a safety measure. I would welcome any advice you may have as this is my first search of this kind. I have a couple of Military Archaeologists in attendance and all items found will be recorded and handed over too the Village when we have completed our two day search. I think I have covered most bases but you may have further advice for me and it would be very welcome. The searcher has just dropped through my letter box , how great it should arrive on my Birthday, 68 today and so much more to achieve. All the best Pete.

Ah now it makes sense!
http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news ... detectors/