Aircrew quarters - Second visit

[Steve T]

BAH !

The snow had melted where i live so i thought i'd scoot off down to the aircrew barracks of the airfield i have been searching and give them another go. I get there only to find 6 inches of snow still on the ground !

I gave up after an hour but.............I didn't come away empty handed and may have just solved a mystery !

I also found a bunker....intact. Here it is.......





So onto the finds then. Not many this time around due to conditions but some interesting stuff none the less.

First before cleaning and sorting....



Then after cleaning and disposal of pieces of junk....



So....what mystery is it that i have solved ?

Well, i found another cut through casing. 50cal this time. 1942 dated. I also found a bullet with plier 'grip' marks on it.



I then found a 30cal cartridge with what appeared to be something stuck to the bottom of it. When i got it home and cleaned it up it turned out to be a BOLT ! Someone has drilled through the bottom of the casing and threaded a bolt through the base. There has also been a notch cut in the top. Could this be a homemade lighter ?

So, the mystery is the cut through cartridges. I can say almost for certain now that they are being used in trench art !!!



I then found a spoon. Not enough marks on it to attribute it to WW2 but it was at the same depth as other relics.





Lord only knows what this is.......found at same depth as other items i can attribute to WW2. 4inches square.



Some iron work. Possibly off the barrack buildings. A bit of detail around the top of a drainpipe ?? 4.5inches wide by 3 inches tall.



The remains of a small metal torch. This is about 3 inches high.



A damaged 30calibre M1 carbine cartridge case. 1942 dated.



And lastly my best find of the day. A GOLD RING !! (only 9 carat though unfortunately).



Can anyone make out what the scroll on the front says ? I think i can see a capital 'B' but nothing else looks like anything in particular. The hallmark reads.....

PPLD 9 375 *anchor sign* L (capital L in what i can best describe as times new roman).

The PPLD is the maker, 9 & 375 refers to the carat, the anchor sign is the Birmingham assey office, and the L is the year. It is either 1860 or 1935.....difficult to make out which.

Could it have belonged to an aircrew member ? It is a big ring....easily slipping over my middle finger so almost certainly a man's ring.


Anyways, let me have your thoughts. I'll go back again in a few weeks when the snow has DEFINITELY gone !

Steve T

[big ned]

Hi Steve, I think the cast iron pieces with flowers and scroll work are very similar to the fire damper and draw hatches found on pot bellied stoves in practically every RAF barracks of the period. Just a thought. Regards, Ned.

[Steve T]

OF COURSE !!!!

I couldn't fathom out why, on the back, one edge is curled over like a hinge !!!!!!

Thanks Ned

[ironcross1]

More great finds Steve ,, mate you are so lucky to be able to just tale off and go digging so close to your home , awesome , cheers Raymond

[JIMSJEEP]

Cool finds Steve, this airbase of yours yields some good kit! there seems to be some interesting stuff to be found, lucky its on your doorstep. Nearest place to me is Warmwell but unfortunately they decide to turn the site of the airfield into a quarry! Not much chance of finding any aircraft bits, but there are a few old building dotted around in the woods, your pics have inspired me into giving it another look!

Regards Jim...

[Steve T]

Jim

Get out there ! There's probably loads of stuff to find !

Don't just concentrate around the buildings. Get a feel for the place and work out where the crew, on a long hot summers evening, would have gone and sat on the grass with a beer and a deck of cards. That's the place to look

Steve T