Australian WWII - Far North Queensland Metal detecting and recovery

[AT P Sweep]

Sorry
"Bill " also suggested that these blanks are/ were a 7.62 mm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AR-15

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[AT P Sweep]

Despite filthy Wet season Monsoon low weather i put I put in two hunts over the Christmas break ~ Both Solo hunts ~

Xmas day was a good day and I never got rained on at all ~

Won

KAIRI, ATHERTON TABLELAND, QUEENSLAND. 1944-12-25. A COMPANY, 2/31 INFANTRY BATTALION PERSONNEL COLLECTING THEIR BEER ISSUE ON CHRISTMAS DAY. (FOR IDENTIFICATION OF 12 NAMED PERSONNEL REFER PROVISIONAL CAPTION).

I wonder if it was the same beer keg (bung) I dug on the site three years ago ~ I got the right day !LOL

Note refrigeration~ slap a wet bag over the barrel and she'll be good!

Only spent a few hours before heading home ~ just in time to dodge the afternoon (heavy ) showers

Always pull silver pre-decimals on this site !

Came back for another go two lays later ~ first site was a tad tight on finds so I moved on site two , another site I have worked over three years ago and this time I found a rubbish pit ~

But had sweat out a serious downpour ~

KAIRI, ATHERTON TABLELAND, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA. 1944-09-28. VX12014 MAJOR-GENERAL E.J. MILFORD, DSO, GOC 7TH DIVISION (1), ACCOMPANIED BY NX349 LIEUTENANT-COLONEL E.M. ROBSON, COMMANDING OFFICER 2/31ST INFANTRY BATTALION (2), INSPECTS PERSONNEL OF THE UNIT AT HEADQUARTERS 25TH
INFANTRY BRIGADE ON THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ARTILLERY SPORTS GROUND.

No outstanding finds but a rubbish pit well worth a second visit ~

Aluminum lid off a cooking pot ? One hell of a signal ~



Included a very nice condition AMF button and I always like the belt buckles ~



Weather has really gone to Wet season but hoping for a team hunt on the coming weekend !

[AT P Sweep]

Well the Wet season in Far North Queensland had bitten down big time with cyclonic/ Monsoonal weather spreading form West Australian and Northern Territory right across to us here in FNQ ~

As demonstrated over Christmas I Have managed a few modest hunts with some success ~

As the latest fronts recede some what ~ Two of us of an original optional team of FIVE ~ braved the rain , drizzle and low flying Cloud to put in a hunt yesterday~ New Years Day ~ (Perhaps a litmus test for the 2016 year ahead ?)

As we approached the site the weather cleared a little but light showers again descended on us ~ but the good news was that by midday the skies cleared allowing the Sun to break through ~

We put in some 6 hours before beating a retreat as the clouds began to close in again~

But a good start to the New Year ~

Dwayne's finds `

My finds ~

( Some items not included and not relevant ~ ( including what I thought in a mad moment ~was just maybe a Gold nugget as this is not unfeasible in the area by any standard ~ )





A period Lighter and a battle damaged Officer's shoulder pip were nice finds ~



The area is known for occasional 4*4 Campers thus the modern Gold " Kangaroo" $1 coin !



Also dug a 2" mortar fin, a little unusual for this site ~



The smaller copper coin , oval rather round, is n fact a discarded 1/2 penny trench art piece ~ "Austr " can be still seen on the face !

We have found 'horse shoes' on the site ?



Members of the 2nd Australian Pack Transport Company, moving off with their donkey trains. Identified are: SX30286 Driver (Dvr) Trevor Melville Barrett (leading), V104014 Dvr Victor Kenneth Watkins (following) and N202815 Dvr Alfred Lawrence Glascott (standing behind Watkins).

[AT P Sweep]

Well ~ another intriguing day ~

Storms continue ~ fien balmy morning ~ actually very cool but wamrs up pretty quickly then isolated storms build to pour down around post 15.00 hrs ~

I was up and at it around 06.00 ~ headed off and on site around 08.00 ~ First I wanted to check out tow sites ~ one registered and the other purely speculative ~

The first showed some optimism ~ a 303 projectile ~ but HEY ! hat coudl have come from just anywhere ~

Spent some time sweeping the area~ but first it was too small an area and the bush behind was virgin rain forest and obviously never been cleared ~

Second site ~ less time spent and even less optimism ~ nothing and virgin rain forest ~

So I then returned to familiar ground ~ It soon became evident that there had been interlopers here very recently ~ but one I believe was my former team mate Ed who fessed up to takiing a break from Gold fossicking to do a solo hunt only some 4 days earlier ~

Anyway it was a bewt day early but the humidity and heat was rising ~

I was ready to quit by 11.30 but broke for a second cuppa and smoko ~ thsi revived me soem ~ and I plodded on ~
Good job as i found the Mess ~ and two bottle dumps ~ and unusually ~ they are smashed but these had more intact bottles than broken!

The beer bottles and the clear beer bottle are all dated 1944





I bought 16 home including oen with the glass stopper ~

Relic finds ~ Blue case is modern 12 Gauge case !







I cleaned up some of the bottles and refilled with Home brew Lager Beer

[AT P Sweep]

Another Mid week Hunt ~ * in hindsight~ a tad over keen as I had to work last night and it was a bit of struggle ~

Stretched the balloon to bit too long ~ LOL

Solo hunt and mixed results but scored some nice items ~ especially relevant to Australian history~

But Bewt day weather wise and a pleasant SE breeze kept things ~ cool ~ but the UV ratings are EXTREME!!

A ripper Rising Sun + a battle damaged Officer's cap AMF button + 1923 KG V six pence!

Been hunting a Florin for ages and this is only number three for me !



KAIRI, QLD. 1943-08-27. MEMBERS OF "D" TROOP, 14TH BATTERY, 2/7TH AUSTRALIAN FIELD REGIMENT, DOING MAINTENANCE ON A 25-POUNDER.

SHOWN ARE:- SX9885 GUNNER (GNR) G. H. GLOVER (1); SX4870 GNR W. D. MATTHEWS (2); WX7238 LANCE BOMBARDIER L. F. BEECH (3); WX3932 GNR C. J. MCMAHON (4); WX11537 GNR W. D. O'HARA (5).

( Classic Aussie workers ~ more about standing around chewing the fat ! LOL )

[lithgow]

Lucky with the Florin-2 bob was a fair slice of cash back then!

[AT P Sweep]

Cheers Lithgow ~

Yes ~ they are fairly rare ~ I mean well ~ 'middy' of beer I believe was 4p then in the day ~ So two shillings is a reasonable fair whack on a "night out' ~ LOL

This one is only my Third ~ But what a bewtiful ornate coin ?!!!!!!

[lithgow]

You nust find a fair few thrupences-tiny coins that are easily lost! I collect coins myself and generally find the ram's head shilling to be the most attractive of the predecimal coins.

[AT P Sweep]

You nust find a fair few thrupences-tiny coins that are easily lost! I collect coins myself and generally find the ram's head shilling to be the most attractive of the predecimal coins.

LOL

Mate ~ Bloody 3d's ~ Apparently the (Melbourne) 1943 (?) 3d is quite valuable ~ so I dug out every one I had and blow me down I had < 43 > and that was before Xmas 2015 !!

( And not a single Melbourne 3d ~ I found I have lots of San Francisco and Detroit make 1943s though!)

And found even more since then ~ Nice signal ~ but Phew!!!

Still ~ better than the post 1938 coppers ~ can't even clean those up ~

The Best of the coppers are the Victorian or Britannia copper coins ~

I am told there are quite a few Chinese coins to be found around these parts too but not seen any in my kit yet!

[AT P Sweep]

Another weekend hunt ~ team effort ~

Good weather ~ decided to do a Artillery unit ~ well tried and worn ~ site ~

Again interlopers been on site ~ strangely one does not wear shoes !! NOW thats Crazy !! ( What with detritus , broken glass and even snakes and nasty bugs at ground level ~ Oh wel one way of reducing competition!)

Australian crew mans a US Long Tom 155mm gun~

We put in a steady day but nothing outstanding ~

Had to dig half tree out for this KGVI penny ~ Also dug a 303 / 9mm spill ~ dozens of them ~

Thought I had founda "good" enamel 'pannikin ' but again was not to be ~



Dug a base section off a two pounder shell ~ engraved 3 lber 1941

Also a large calibre separation plate which a Digger I believe has 'played with' before discarding it ~

Dwayne was less than overly impressed with the site ~