Pre D Day battleground Training Area.

[dangermouse]

Wow. Love the sign and the 81mm section of tail. Great work... keep it up

A hate jam with a vengeance but I love the tin!

DM

[davejb]

What do you mean "you hate jam", your the jammiest so and so ive ever met, without jam you wouldnt keep finding all those special little somethings, its not skill ,you more or less trip over them

[dangermouse]

LOL Dave...

[Steve T]

Firstly .............. LOL @ Dave. Funniest thing he's ever posted.

Secondly, still living up to your name I see LS ! Some superb finds. The sign is an absolute cracker and I am fairly sure I'd have danced around for at least 15 minutes after finding that. Coupled with the jig I'd have done for the 81mm fin as well, I wouldn't have found half as much as you due to all the time wasted dancing.

Some superb finds. Excellent job !

[Whitehunter]

LS have a look at this link Military rations - all periods - U.S. Militaria Forum there is some tins like your on this thread. I really like the Air Crew Lunch on it


John

[LUCKYSTRIKE]

Thanks for all the positive comments makes it all worthwhile ,
Steve 'inside I was dancing a jig' but whilst doing that I was also checked the hole for more relics . DM thanks mate, but aren't you addicted to sweet fruity Jaffa cakes? if so I'm surprised you dislike jam so much.
John thanks for the link it's already gone into the ever growing favourites, definately the same style of tin as mine.

I've been back and recovered the other sign and even better it's different to the first



It says 'DONT TOUCH ANYTHING IT MAY EXPLODE'. 'WAR DEPT'. I was very pleased to see it's marked with WAR DEPT. But I then noticed that at the top it also had the partial remains of text, so there must be more to it.



Close up of the WD marking.



Then it dawned on me 'Its the bottom half of the first found'! , now happily reunited after umpteen years below ground.



Whilst excavating it and then refilling the hole I spotted these 3 x 303 (fired) blank cartridges in the spoil. Two are unmarked as expected but one is nicely marked and dated 1943. These all came from the soil above the sign so perhaps help date it, but I guess could have been moved when the sign was original buried.



These mortar fins were found separately they're quite small and appear to be off the smaller US mortars like M49 A2.



An unidentified tube with two small catch pins toward the top, could it be the flight that held the fins for a mortar? do you have any ideas?



Another isolated fin this time larger than the first but in the same style, so again of US origin possibly from an M43 A1 or M56.



Whilst there I spied yet another and more unusual (recreational) use of the site!!!, and no its not dirty, at least I dont think it was
These Guys spent most of the day chasing each other around with broom handles (I think), whilst screaming at the top of their voices like banshees . Scary stuff .

a few more pics will follow
LUCKYSTRIKE

[davejb]

Honestly , how silly can you get, dressing up in costumes playing war games, i dont know , what will people do next, dig holes in the ground looking for old bits of metal?

[LUCKYSTRIKE]

The last few....

A small padlock perhaps from an ammo chest or vehicle locker.



With this one I have to give credit where credits due ,
This was dug by all diggers best friend, I picked it up from the spoil outside the rabbit burrow. It's survived well and as you can see is nicely dated 1940.



A few fragments of small alloy fuses.



Unidentified, they are heavy items the holes seem to pass most of the way through them, they are a little shattered like they could have been in an explosion perhaps from a shell or mortar?



Now this was unexpected, I dont know who was more surprised!!!
Notice the old crater to his (yes he was a bull) front.



Last pick below
Can anyone tell me what these things are, Im embarrased to say Im not sure. Common I think because Ive found a few at different sites but always very rusted like the one on the right. But my recent one (left hand side) is in great condition and even retains much of its green paint.
I've always thought perhaps it's some sort of stand/support for shooting, the weapon resting in the U shaped top section.

Thank you for any help.
LUCKYSTRIKE

[dangermouse]

Wow, don't you all just know that this will be one of those fantastic threads you come back to again and again!

I love the sign even more now!!! but knowing you you will find 30 of them!!!

DM

[davejb]

I always thought those last items were trip wires stakes for flares, the pointed piece facing downwards pushes into the ground and holds the upper piece steady, but someone might have a different description