Australian WWII - Far North Queensland Metal detecting and recovery

[AZPhil]

You sure are on a Honey Hole with all your finds. And all the coins you keep finding, At least you are making money while you search and find.
Great Job!!
Thanks for sharing pic's of your hunts and finds!!

Semper Fi
Phil

[AT P Sweep]

Cheers Mate

I always look forward to finding much more US relics on this particular site ~ not to mention ~ US army relics..

But after all by mid to late 1942 the US army had begun to move forward with the Island hopping and the US campaigns ~

[AT P Sweep]

FINALLY ~ with the lifting of restriction ~ some what ~ in QLD ~ with provisos ~ I headed out on Saturday ~

Away around 09:30 hrs. And a fine day with a breeze and some cloud ~ mostly fine as ~

I was pleasantly surprised to find mush of the area had slashed some the area and more importantly the area was another section which as always been heavily over grown ~ thus exposing potentially more of the old Camp site, not seen previously .

Assuming he slashed and baled the grass for feed storage or Compost hay!

So I started proceedings in that area with fabulous result right off the bat ~ mere meters from the 4*4 ~ Ten minutes in and "Bam Bam "~

I was then interrupted by ~ "Keith" , the property owner across the creek bed ~ That took about 25 Mins out my detecting time.

I spent an hour ~ before I broke for a Smoko and a bite before moving on into the next paddock ~

I worked my way around to the NW side of the area with a few finds ~ before I called it a day around 14:00 ~

A Great first day back in the Trenches indeed ~

I dug a number of the French Mossa 7.95 mm rounds ~ I will endeavour to remove the head s as they are U.S.

Several AMF Buttons ~ three Roo Pennies ~

The Thrips came up a trick as always ~





Did a run over to Ol' mate's place and we decided to do a quick assessment of a regrowth wooded area ~ as I have never been there ~ there was a camp 2/2nd Batt camp site ~ well on the hill where Rob's place is and beyond the forested area there was firing rang e so logically there would be something in there ~

It had been a farm post WWII and the entrie area was a corn and crop farm ~ But there was absolutely Nothing ~ scratch that one ~ Not a crumb or even trash!






BADAS, BORNEO. 1945-08-31. A VICKERS MACHINE GUN POST OF A COMPANY, 2/2ND MACHINE GUN BATTALION, COVERING A BEND IN THE BADAS RIVER.



NEAR BARDIA. PRIVATE O'SULLIVAN (STANDING) AND SERGEANT DARK OF THE 2/2ND BATTALION WITH THE FIAT CAR THAT THEY BORROWED FROM THE ITALIAN LINES ONE DARK NIGHT NOT LONG AGO.

[lithgow]

Those thrupences-oh so easily lost! Notable that they weren't replaced by decimal equivalents in 1966 like the other 'silvers'.

[AT P Sweep]

Mate absolutely ~ I spend time casing these little Buggers around the Hole and more of often than Not have to resort to using the Pin Pointer to locate them ~ and then Ironically when you do find them ~ they almost light up as they generally are clean and shine through ~ LOL

When we were kids my Grandmother used to make Xmas Puddings at Christmas with three Penances in there Beats me hwo she never choked any of the Grand kids ~

[AT P Sweep]

Well been putting a few hunts same site ~ as he results come in and Lock down in FNQ seems far more relaxed ~ in fact while the rest of the Country debates School returns the Kids here have been back fro weeks ~Not sure how that works but Good on them ~



Mid week headed out ~ I am now generally less than optimistic as I keep draining the plot ~ How much can one site keep regrowing targets ? ~ after all!

Anyway good weather ~ and a few hours ~

Usual suspects ~ I am not replanting there for future generations ~

This piece had us baffled until Mate came along and relieved our concerns ~ Thanks Mate ~ it is part of the Shot Gun barrel mechanism that I flounder a few weeks ago ~

This put up a Great signal and testifies to the ability f the Equinox ~ the hole despite appearances is < 80 cm > deep ~ Seems this was the Cooks site and the large ferrous iron can was some some of Food container with a Zinc (?) Lining which f course set the Nox Right off !

Anyway ~ not a huge day but some intriguing finds ~ Not sure what the Plastic piece is ~ it has a ferrous screw thru the centre ~

Th brass ring is obviously a Off cut of a artillery shell ~ again ~ so very common in the Camps ~

3975067. MAREEBA, ATHERTON TABLELAND, QLD. 1944 10 04. A MORTAR CREW OF 1 PARATROOP BATT.

4,071

[AT P Sweep]

Mate assures me that the Plastic piece in fact is a Manufacturer's custom under barrel stock brace for the Shot Gun barrels I found ~ which I suspected was the case ~ (Obviously the Wood has long since departed ~)

Thanks Mate ~

[AT P Sweep]

Fossick #505 ~

Early start as Ms M joined her World wide Internet friends for a Game Session.

Okay ~ fair call ~ they have fun and there is LOTS of Belly laugh so I deeded to "get out of Town" around mid Morning for a few Hours.

Perfect weather~ Autumn and a strong gusting Chilly Southerly breeze ` ~ Chilly One minute and then more than warm the next ~

Spent an Hour in the "Parking lot area" ~

[url]http://www.10dragoons.wwiipolishlhg.org

Straight up pulled a Webbley Service revolver barrel cleaning rod ~

Broke for Smoko ~ ( I have created a new Smoko kit for protracted Hunts ~ have Smoko will travel ~ )

Headed off again ~ working section One extensively ~ LOTS of boats out and about ~

Travelled cautiously as it is now Autumn ~ So still wary if the scaly slithery demons ~

Eventually worked back and broke for another Smoko before tossing the coin and calling it a day ~

Another Service ribbon backing plate and few misc,
Centre Left aluminium Whiskey Bottle cap ` "White Horse distillers ~ since 1775" ( I like to collect these various caps.

Cleaning rod cleaned up Very nicely ~ Second one I have found ~

Have not been able to clean up the Chinese coin but have raised enough to establish that this it ~ It is so badly worn and deteriorated ~

The pictorial cover is a photographic record of Sgt. Derrick raising at Satelberg the Australian flag which had been flown previously over recaptured Kokoda and Lae (1943).

http://www.anfa-national.org.au/history-of-our-flag/anf-detailed-history/images-of-the-australian-flag/

On 22 March 1944 he was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for valour for British and Commonwealth forces, for his actions at the capture of Sattelberg.

A notation in Derrick's service records states:

Undoubtedly Sgt DERRICK'S outstanding gallantry fine leadership and refusal to admit defeat in the face of a seemingly impossible situation resulted in the capture of SATELBERG [sic].

His outstanding gallantry and thoroughness were an inspiration to his platoon and to the remainder of his Coy, and has served as a conspicuous example of fearless devotion to duty throughout the whole Bn.

https://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=438&c=3659



Not Forgotten -Lest we Forget.

5,036

[AT P Sweep]

Relic identified ~

Some years ago at Dutchman’s landing ~

I assumed it was Sweet heart badge engraved Shirley” as it appears t be silver plate at very least.

I did some research on it ~

Apparently it was a Brand of Men’s Braces ~ But get this Dated 1917

1917 antique PRESIDENT Suspenders SHIRLEY MA Men's Fashion ADVERTISING Ad

[lithgow]

The Chinese coins were fairly common souvenirs, often worn on cords as a necklace sort of thing-same with the PNG/Palestine ones with a hole in them (mostly for the locals to do so, but troops did it as well-had to wear the dog tags anyway!).
The cleaning rods could be used by any of the various service revolvers-Webleys, Enfields, US Colt or S&W types-late war the British switched to steel rods to save brass for shell cases-more likely to scratch the barrel bore though.