Australian WWII - Far North Queensland Metal detecting and recovery

[AT P Sweep]

Lithgow ~

How cool would it be if Dwayne was able to find the turret and the rear section ~ and there is no reason why he ~ or I could not find it despite the elements~ of course !

Of course keep you posted if we can locate the MIA pieces !

As for "my" badge ~ I Thought I had found another matching mate ~ but not to be ~ after all I think it was a cap/ beret badge ~

[AT P Sweep]

Xmas day ~ms M and i went for a drive arund the local dam to check out the water levels ~

Quite amazing scenery ~ as the water approaches 32% ~

As I speak the rain appear to be slowly increasing and just how long this receding of the water will continue ~ as the real Cyclone season increases,)

That bridge again ~

This WWII period, Military purpose built causeway would normally be under < 10 metres > of water ~




A colonial period grave marker, I am told of a woman and two children! ( This would also be normally around < 10 meters> underwater ~ )

[AT P Sweep]

DId a Hunt on New Year's Eve ~ around 3 hours ~

Started on familiar ground but actually 'stumbled onto' totally new ground ~

Some concerns about whether it had been worked over before despite there being no evidence of recent diggings ~ but hey it has been < 70 years> since these blokes in occupancy ~

Did find some intriguing finds though ~

My first US military forces stamped/ marked find ~ a Standard PSE Issue Fork ~ in very nice condition `

AA lot of us are pestered by the stock issue water drum bungs and I never seen SO MANY on any one site as this sarea but I actually foudn a pouring spout associated with the water drums ~

Stamped "TIS' Melbourne `



A electrical contact strip heavily stamped ~ associated with the standard issue torches ~





Plus several 1918 Webbly .455 rounds in nice condition ~ after all they are 98 years old ~ Plus an unusual 303 round dated 5-1939 can't quite ID the cartridge via it's headstamp though!










I am told the slotted disc is part of Tent pole set up (?)

Plus a Bakelite ' Gillette 7 O'clock Made in England ' ~ razor ~ even the handle was broken in service !



Gillette 7 Oclock Bakelite razor set Circa 1930s.

Australian soldiers of the of the 2/ 14th Battalion, 21st Brigade, 7th Division, Second Australian Imperial Force, use an Ordnance QF 25-pounder Short

They may have saved 400 lbs off the gun but the repercussions resulted in hearing damage for the gunners with no shield and shortened barrel~

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[lithgow]

Hearing loss simply wasn't a concern-was the 1970s before hearing protection was issued to the artillery-the Webley .455 rimless auto rounds were also used in British contract US made M1911 pistols-neither pistol was issue here but would have been a 'private purchase' for officers from WW1 still being used in WW2 (original owner or a son etc).

[AT P Sweep]

Cheers Lithgow

As a matter of Interest one of my bosses in the 1970s, was a former gunnery officer in the Royal Navy ~ ( He served on the HMS Glow Worm and the HMS Cleopatra ) ~ He was deaf as a post ~

( After both ships were sunk under him ~ he joined/ transferred the Army as a radio operator ~ )

[AT P Sweep]

A couple of New Years Greetings from Metal Detecting mates ~

[lithgow]

And to you too, Sirs!

[AT P Sweep]

Decided to risk the encroaching wet weather and do a hunt to Tinaroo dam as the rains have ben pelting down all week and the forecast looking grim for site hunts int he dam area now ~

In fact there has been ferocious down falls this week ~

So I got lucky and started out early ~ and by 13.00 I was heading home again just in time to slip past the rain clouds ~

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the water had in fact not risen to the levels of my last trip to the site ~ And inf act I found that what I thought was camp emplacement on the edge of the nearby creek within the deeper water ~ and the drop off into what I assumed was creek bed, was in fact a terrace abutment/s ~

There are three terrace in this photo ~

But in fact the side of the hill was terraced ~ in this shot the hill has three terrace levels ~

I argued that these were shell case racks despite some suggestions that it is Marsden sections.. too light and too short !

I was right ~ and thanks to o my partner Merete who resolved the issue last night with her research !



Note the C206 cases on the left ~

I was well pleased with the pieces I scored ~

Talking about runs on relics I have lost count of the letter openers of late!

The third coin on the left is a battered reject trench art coin ~ Plus a Gunner's ID tag ~ Private Sutherland ~

98,815

[AT P Sweep]

Our wet season has cut in with a vengenace and hunts have been reduced ~ but reassessing December January has given soem intriguing reults ~

A few interesting rounds ~

2 * .455 Webbly ~ these cleaned up better even the most recent rounds ~


ACP 45

Nambu round

several 9 mm Owen gun rounds for good measure

Nice M1 carbine round 1943

the 1932 30.06 round ~ also cleaned really nice

Several nice 'Paris' braces buckles ~

The current Cigarette lighter collection ~ several still unopened but I knwo they are Zigy lighter ~

This one caused considerable interest today ~ as could not work out why the safety cap had a bakelite inner ~

Turns out on closer inspection it is TWO separate caps ~but I for one have not seen a Bakelite mortar safety cap ~







Australian Mortar men loading a 3 inch mortar bombarding Japanese position in the Tsimba area. Note the upturned Japanese helmets in the debris around the gun pit.

Australian Mortar men loading a 3 inch mortar bombarding Japanese position in the Tsimba area. Note the upturned Japanese helmets in the debris around the gun pit.





1941-08. TRENCH MORTARS BEING COMPLETED BEFORE LEAVING MELBOURNE FACTORY.

99,736

[AT P Sweep]

And it gets better as I separated the two caps and despite the fact the Bakelite cap has no embossing i.e. ~ No 69 ~ we believe the Bakelite cap isa No 69 Hand grenade cap ~