US Army Dump 2nd Dig Finds.

**shadowwolf** · 06-03-2010, 10:25 AM

Ian,

Thanks for the offer, breakfast at simon's it is then

Regards to all, Simon.

**Falschirmjager** · 06-03-2010, 07:23 PM

by Steve T

Tim

I have heard this theory before, that full date cases were RAF and 2 digit cases were Army. However, I have found both full and 2 digit dated cases on the gunnery range I visit, in an area only used by the army. Indeed, I have found a great many full date cartridges (303) with Bren gun firing pin marks.

I do not hold with this theory that 4 digit were RAF etc.... because of my finds over the past few years. Indeed, on the RAF base I go to, the 303's are a mix of 2 and 4 digit dates.

I would not assume that because they are full date they were dropped from an aircraft. Just as likely they were fired from an LE or Bren.

Cheers

Steve T

Ahhh yes but these full dated cases fell from the sky!! It is written in an official ordnance manual that i have somewhere that full dated .303 was allways intended for RAF use. Though there were without doubt other applications inc Army that would have used supplies as necessary. My mothers uncle recalled along with other locals that you knew when the bombers were doing their things as the cases rained down and clattered down the roof. It used to annoy some of the folks as they often blocked their gutterings. Best Regards, Tim.

**Steve T** · 06-03-2010, 10:08 PM

by Falschirmjager

Ahhh yes but these full dated cases fell from the sky!! It is written in an official ordnance manual that i have somewhere that full dated .303 was allways intended for RAF use. Though there were without doubt other applications inc Army that would have used supplies as necessary. My mothers uncle recalled along with other locals that you knew when the bombers were doing their things as the cases rained down and clattered down the roof. It used to annoy some of the folks as they often blocked their gutterings. Best Regards, Tim.

I have no doubt that many cases fell to earth from our aircraft and I am sure many a sore head was to be found in towns all over the south of England BUT, whilst the intention may have been to keep the 4 digit to RAF and 2 digit to army, it just didn't happen.

I just don't think you can assume that because it has 4 digits it automatically fell from the sky. After all, I have experienced digging up a full load of spent 303's from a Bren gun, yet half of them were 4 digit 303s.

It just isn't that cut and dry I am afraid......oh but it was !

Cheers

Steve T

**Steve T** · 06-07-2010, 08:58 PM

I finally got round to cleaning up the rest of the finds I took home with me.

Thanks to luckystrike for the tip on how to clean inside small bottles. The wife looked at me as though I was mad, when I asked if I could nick some of her decorative 'pebbles' out of the various plant pots around the house

Just going to attach the pictures today.

Pic 1 = After cleaning
Pic 2 = Larger vials (60ml)
Pic 3 = Medium vials and another of those strange brass tubes with a small hole in one end

Pic 4 = I think this is an aftershave bottle and a glass 'tap' for use in chemistry apparatus.
Pic 5 = Small vials and 2 'droppers' minus the rubber suction bulb.
Pic 6 = A handle off a spoon/fork, the head of which has been cut off. The other item I believe is a clamp for rubber tubing
Pic 7 = Close up of the back of the handle showing date (1942) and WD arrow
Pic 8 = Close up of the clamp with a nice little stamp

Cheers !

Steve T

**Whitehunter** · 06-07-2010, 09:04 PM

All the glass came up really well looks brand new. its intresting the amount of british spoons coming up on that site

**jimpy** · 06-07-2010, 10:29 PM

by shadowwolf

Luckstrike,
Thanks for checking. From what I understand there are a lot of POW camps that are not listed, but thanks for looking for me

Regards Simon.

This is true.

We had an Italian/German army PoW camp in my home town of Mexborough, (was West Riding, now South Yorkshire), which is NOT listed. The nearest one to my home town is listed at Doncaster Race course

Regards etc

Ian D

AKA: Jimpy

**shadowwolf** · 06-07-2010, 10:42 PM

Ian,
As a thought, I wonder why they did not list them all ?
Regards, Simon.

**jimpy** · 06-07-2010, 11:08 PM

by shadowwolf

Ian,
As a thought, I wonder why they did not list them all ?
Regards, Simon.

Hi Simon.

My own thoughts on this are that they were small "satellite" camps or transit camps, originally only intended to be temporary.
Having said that, various older members of the family distinctly remember the camp being on site from very early in the war til actually AFTER the armistice! (Which shoots down that theory!)

My late Gran remembered her mother having an Italian PoW helping out in the family shop and her brother, my late uncle, remembered having German and Italian PoWs working on the farm where he was during the war and all from this PoW camp!
Unfortunately, if the site is the one that it is believed to be, there will be absolutely NOTHING there, they built a Day Centre on the site about 30 years ago.

Confused? You will be!

Regards etc

Ian D

**LUCKYSTRIKE** · 06-07-2010, 11:21 PM

Here's a few more recently cleaned finds. The item that looks like a bomb pistol is believed to be an optical medical instrument thanks for ID SteveT. The padlock had a lot of rust on it (its made of brass) so it was soaked in water for a week which softened the rust and it cleaned off easy to reveal the WD stamp, a little bit more cleaning and the date 1939 showed

.
The spanner also revealed markings from under the rust sadly though I still cant make them out, just too faint now.
There's an unidentified ceramic screwed item with a metal rod through the centre that can be pushed back and forth because its on a spring, could it be a Thermostat? SteveT thought some sort of battery?
A small bakelite plug and a carbide burner from I believe a bicycle rear light. The small enamel jug was encased in paint, this was easy to remove to reveal the little gem.
Cheers

.
LUCKYSTRIKE