USAAF airbase - Dump and barracks - May 2011

[Steve T]

Hey all

I divided my time at the base this visit, spending half in the dump, the other MDing around some old buildings.

The reason for the split in time is that the dump is virtually unsearchable due to the 'contribution' of the landowner and his JCB. I managed to find one undisturbed location but that had a massive concrete block on it that eventually fell into the hole and ended my dump search.

Managed to get some nice videos of finds coming up though. I'll post the video up once I've rattled it together.

No super amazing finds this trip, but some nice stuff all the same, along with a curious concentration of 50cals

First up, before cleaning and disposal of crap.....



And now after cleaning......



Electrical bits first. A very nice valve 'RCA' with 'Made in USA' on the back and a letter code. A small bulb found in the dump 4 feet down so definitely from WW2 era. An unidentified thingy and a fuse



Found loads of this stuff. Every single piece was, unfortunately, blank. Kept this piece as it still had the spool attached. I reckon it's gun camera film



A Merlin exhaust stub lock washer.



Nice Colgate Ribbon toothpaste tube.



Now these caused a little intrigue that I think I worked out whilst at the dump. The information from the base records that allowed me to find this dump stated it was 'shut' and 'anyone found using it will be severely disciplined' in late 1944. Yet I find a 1945 bottle UNDERNEATH a 1941 dated one !!! I then noticed that the dump was double layered, with a foot of ash separating the two layers. The base obviously re-opened the dump mid(ish) 1945, hence the gap and the dates on the bottles.

Lots of these bottles have been found in the dump. Are they beer bottles or soft drink bottles ?? 'Smith & Son....OUNDLE'



Now onto the MDing finds. Amazingly I have discovered that the POWs that I know inhabited some of the other barrack sites were at this one as well ! The Franc could have come from a pilot back from a visit......but the 5 Pfennig piece ? I doubt it very much. This means I have another area that needs searching for POW stuff !



More tea ration tins. On the surface again.



The 20mm was found in the dump, a good 4 foot down. All the 50cals though came from a location nowhere near any buildings and all in a 10 foot square area. Even more curious, all the same headstamp I'd love to know how they ended up there.



And the last thing to show you is a spoon retrieved just before the concrete block ended my dump search. I was disappointed to see that the front had no markings at all. However, on turning the spoon over I not only find it is dated 1940, but it also has a lovely AM mark and a crown ! Little beauty and a new one for my collection of 'cutlery stamps'



Hope you like the finds and keep an eye out for my next video......you'll see what I mean about the concrete block

Steve T

[381st digger]

Hi Steve,
I cant comment on your dump without seeing it but on one of my dump where most of my dog-tags come from i have to acually sieve the dirt to find the good stuff. I dont think i would have found half my dog-tags without doing this. It takes ages and can be quite a thankless task but its found me 3 silver bracelets loads and loads of Lt bars and most of my dog-tags and allso lots of small bomb arming components. Dont give up just because the land owner has stuck a digger in.
Great finds anyway Andy.
Ps sorry for the dodgy spelling just got home from the pub

[Kolby72]

The headstamps are from Lake City Missouri ammo plant nice finds!

[Paul B]

Any printed identification on the glass of the valve might be visible using the "freezer method"...

What's the dataplate from by the way?

All the best,
Paul

[Steve T]

381st Digger - Yeah......I've often thought about taking a garden riddle but always dismissed the idea as being too much of a ball ache I'll succumb one day I'm sure

Kolby72 - Thanks for the info I'm one of these people who need to know everything about anything they find, so I taught myself all about headstamps some years back and became rather an expert. Unusual to find all the same HSs like that. Only other place it's ever happened was on Omaha beach when I found 64 MG42 carts all with same headstamp and links in place

Paul B - Thanks for the freezer method tip. A|s to the data plate, I underestimated it's fragility and the damn thing snapped into four bits. The inspection stamp is 'ANA' which really REALLY hacked me off as this would indicate it's off an aircraft part. BUGGER !



Steve T

[Kolby72]

Steve I had to re-read your first comment and I realized you weren't even asking where they were made you were just dumbfounded that they were the same lol sorry about that

[Steve T]

Kolby72 - No worries my friend Other people reading the thread may not realise what the HSs mean I used to include the meanings of the headstamps in my initial threads but stopped out of pure laziness. I'll start doing it again

Steve T

[LUCKYSTRIKE]

Hi Steve,
A great post you've got some magnificent finds there, I love the spool of film, what a shame its blank is the metal spool that its wrapped around marked? Yet another nice toothpaste tube you must have some collection of those now.
Messrs Smith and Son of Oudle was a Brewery so the bottles are likely to have contained beer, they are bottles designed to take a little presure like beer but this style was also used to contain pressurised Mineral waters. Just to confuse its not unknown that some Brewers actually produced Mineral Waters as a sideline for their own pubs. But for me what really stands out is that they're dated on the bottom, this is quite a rare occurance.
Your spoon is something else superb your search trip was worth it just for that, you should get it soaking in a de rust solution to bring back some of the shine.
Good work Mate, thanks for posting.
LUCKYSTRIKE

[NickW]

Unusual to see British bottles dated like that - nice find. ANA stamps are likely to be North American Aviation

[Steve T]

Thanks Nick. Yeah.......I realise what the ANA stands for which is why I was so annoyed at it breaking ! I'm going to try and piece it together......see if any of the numbers correspond to aircraft serial numbers.

Steve T