Anybody have an idea of what it is?

[GasMasksUK]

It looks very fired to me as the gas holes are open with no signs of propellent. The cap is a screw cap and remains in place even after firing, its not a safety device, it holds the ignition cart in place. All my rounds still have the cap fitted. Also, the cap at the other end is missing suggesting the smoke charge has been discharged. What is unusual (In my experience) is that the fins are still straight. I usually find them bent over, I dont know if this is from spining in the air, or on impact with the ground.

I wouldnt say that the fact that the fins all being straight is that odd, I've found lots of these things at MOD Barry Buddon (of course I left them where they were) more or less fully intact. I guess its just luck and to do with what kind of surface they are landing on, Barry Buddon is very sandy in some places do it could cusion the impact

Thanks

Danny

[m3bobby]

It could well be the ground type. All the rounds I've found have been surface finds on grass land, I've also found frags of 3" mortars too but never a complete one. When I was in Iraq we found every size going, 2", 3" 81mm and some bloody big stuff. One of my last jobs was to a massive dump of French HE rounds, there must have been about 200 in a 10meter square area. All live but with no fuzes or plugs fitted, the locals had been melting the HE out to supposedly start there fires.

[Steve T]

I know what you mean m3 but I too am like Danny. I've come across many an 'unused' mortar round and determined that, despite the fact the gas holes are open, they were just dumped by the guys on the range.

After 60 years in the ground the water eats the cardboard tube away and makes it look 'fired' (you were right about the safety cap by the way....my mistake ) and, of course, leaves the fins intact.

So I still think it has a high liklihood of being unfired, especially seeing as all the paint and markings have disappeared. This can also be a result of being left in the ground for 60 odd years.

Last two trips to 'my' range I have found 2 inch smoke rounds within 2 feet of each other. One had virtually no markings left and all the propellent holes were open BUT the safety nose cap was in place. The other looked like it had been dropped a week last thursday with every marking still readable and the colours vibrant. It too had totally open propellent holes. The reason for the difference ? The good one was on the crest of a dune, the bad one at the base of the slope.

Water can be a real sod....

Cheers

Steve T

[GasMasksUK]

I know what you mean m3 but I too am like Danny. I've come across many an 'unused' mortar round and determined that, despite the fact the gas holes are open, they were just dumped by the guys on the range.

After 60 years in the ground the water eats the cardboard tube away and makes it look 'fired' (you were right about the safety cap by the way....my mistake ) and, of course, leaves the fins intact.

So I still think it has a high liklihood of being unfired, especially seeing as all the paint and markings have disappeared. This can also be a result of being left in the ground for 60 odd years.

Last two trips to 'my' range I have found 2 inch smoke rounds within 2 feet of each other. One had virtually no markings left and all the propellent holes were open BUT the safety nose cap was in place. The other looked like it had been dropped a week last thursday with every marking still readable and the colours vibrant. It too had totally open propellent holes. The reason for the difference ? The good one was on the crest of a dune, the bad one at the base of the slope.

Water can be a real sod....

Cheers

Steve T

The ones that I have found have pretty much all been around the bottom area of Barry Ridge (if you know the training area you'll know what I mean) and almost all of the ones I've seen were heavily rusted and would break into pieces if you tried to pick one up by the look of them. Water can be a sod, but sometimes its a good thing, some of the relics that get pulled out of marshy swampy ground is amazing!

Thanks

Danny