WW2 airfield barracks - Amazing German find ? HELP NEEDED !

[Steve T]

Hey guys

Well after the last visit to my airfield where illness got the better of me, (preventing me from doing anywhere near as much detecting as I would normally do), I decided to get back there as soon as possible to make up for it.

The results proved it was worth the return visit !

And as and extra special treat for you all, (I know, I know.......I can kiss arse with the best of them !), I even put together a video of some of the finds being dug up!!! I was only using a small digi still camera on 'video mode' so please don't expect anything BBC quality. I didn't video everything I dug up as it would have taken too long so it was pot luck what I ended up filming.

YouTube - relic hunting 2

Please find below my normal array of pictures for your consideration and, hopefully, help

Firstly before any cleaning........



And then after cleaning and disposal of pieces of crap.....



I found quite a few tent/tarpaulin rings this time round along with a couple of buckles....



A strange circular piece of metal, about the size of a headlamp. In fact....could that be what it is ? Picture shows the stamps on the inside.



A safety razor handle, a clock face from a pocket watch and a tube top. (Exciting isn't it !)



Some jam jar lids and a strange item that I need help with. I think ZigZag make/made lighters and cigarette papers don't they ? Is this a relic or a piece of modern crap ? The USA patent is dated 1938.



An American padlock......



An electrical plug and a bakerlite lid that I found lying on the surface, dated 9141



Now these items intrigue me. Found at the same depth as the relics I know are from the 1940s. A Yardley compact (either a mirror or possibly face powder) and the top off a Max Factor lipstick. Were the RAF/USAAF guys cross dressing or perhaps the area I was in was used by the WAAFs ? What do you reckon ?



These two items intrigued me even more ! A very small but lovely little cast metal telephone and what looks the remains of an item of jewellery......the remains of where prescious/semi-precious stones were mounted can be clearly seen. Anyone any idea what these two items were ?



The buttons just keep coming..... Another German pebble button, a n American standard button, a silver button with the rear missing and a collar badge. Can someone tell me exactly what type of collar badge ? Having trouble finding it on the net (I'll give you 1 hour Ade )



A 30cal, 303 and a 45cal. The 45 is dated 1932 which is kinda unusual for this site and the 30cal and 303 are badly damaged. Cordite still in place in the 303 Also a spent 45 cal bullet....hope it didn't hit a person

Please also note that the 45 has been fired (note the picture of the cartridge base) and someone has decided to put the bullet back in (although they pushed it in too far).



I found more cartridges in the process of being 'trench-arted'. Interesting that I found both pieces of the 50cal within 3 feet of each other, (the halves match perfectly), and that someone has pushed an inner metal sleeve into the base of it. I wonder why ?

A nice 50cal just poking out of the ground (see my video above ) and a 20mm which again is a rare find for this site.

The feint headstamp is TW 4 by the way.



And now for one of my most interesting finds on this site. Shame about it's condition but spending 65 years in the ground rarely has a positive outcome !



It is called a PERFECTA harmonica and appears to have German writing on it although I can't be totally sure, (DAS Instru**** ? and further along what looks like 'Konners'). I am awaiting an e-mail back from a Harmonica museum in the states to see if i can identify the maker as, so far, a trawl of the internet has proved fruitless.

Wouldn't it be superb if it did indeed turn out to be German AND made in WW2 ? One can but live in hope !

Anyway. Hope you like the finds.

Look forward to your help identifying some of it !

Pictures uploaded for safe keeping....

Steve T

[John Brandon]

Steve That is pretty amazing, and having met you at B'mingham, The enthusiasm you showed there made me go and buy a detecting magazine. I must dust off the cob webs from my old "White"

Considering I can see an old US Airfield from my bedroom window (yes dis-used too) its pretty sad don't you think. I must go and look seeing that lot

I still prefer France, but much too dodgy now

Well done mate

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Steve, these are great!

The collar dog is US Transportation Corps.

The two buckles are from a British Battledress blouse. I strongly suspect these will be from German POW uniforms (they were given dyed British BD as prison uniform) given the date the airfield ceased to be an RAF base, the RAF were not wearing BD much. Plus RAF BD buckles are more often a slightly different design.

Cheers, Ade.

[ian_]

Hello Steve, quite a collection there. The watch face is an aircraft 8 day clock, not sure British or US. Get the embossed lettering under a magnifying glass and it might tell you. The 'Swiss made' isn't much help.

[ian_]

Just zoomed in on the photo. Does it say London? It should also have the last two digits of the year made at the end of the part number. Def RAF. It's on bottom left of my Spifire panel although I'm not sure it's exactly the right type for a Spit.

[appie]

Very nice finds you make there. I wunder what the box is from Zig-Zag. They still make sigaret papers today, and as there is a flame on the little box it seems it could have been for papers, but its seems strange to use aluminium for an item you through away when its empty, specialy in wartime when they needed all the aluminium.

[big ned]

Hi Guys,

The clock dial shown is a RAF issue aircaft clock Mk2 manufactured by Smiths of London, the giveaway is the 6A579 code. The 8 day swiss movement was probably made by Zenith of Switzerland. The clock was wound with a bezel winding gear.It had a centre second hand and dummy hour and minute hands which were painted red. The dummy hands are used for marking the start of any particular period of time, for example, when computing the period of a trip. This clock was used on many RAF types from 1938 onwards, so you won't be able to pin down the a/c type unless you find an instrument panel missing it's clock nearby i guess.

The little phone receiver is off a key ring for a lockable phone box.Many telephones were scattered around the aerodrome, and for official use only!! Due to this and also security matters many telephones were locked and the key held in an office cabinet.

Finally, the Zig-Zag device is a fag rolling machine!! Don't worry American collegues, that's not an arcane form of british homophobic vigillanteism, but a cigarette rolling machine!!. Still made today, to the same design, and costing 30 bob.(1.50)

Hope this helps, regards, Ned.

[Steve T]

Holy crap !

Thanks guys !

So we have buckles from British kit probably worn by German POWs, a cigarette rolling device (nothing to do with rolling anything else ), part of a keyring for a telephone box, a transportation corps collar badge and an aircraft clock dial, possibly from a Spitfire.

I feel that saying thanks isn't enough.....but THANKS !

I am off to my cupboard to get that bloody clock face in a frame

Steve T

[Steve T]

Right....a bit more information for you.

The markings on the clock face are as follows........

Mk II (to the left of the centre hole)
No / (to the right of the centre hole and a big bit of corrosion covering the number )
S Smith & Sons (MA) Ltd London (under the centre hole)
Ref No 6A/579


Now when I look at it (and indeed the Zigzag machine) I feel stupid that I didn't identify myself......but when you see something as a pocket watch....your brain keeps thinking that ! Same with the Zigzag.....I thought it was the remains of a lighter and my brain went no further.

Amazing really.

Steve T

PS What about the harmonica !!!!

[VERSUCH]

Hi Steve very nice items ,the clock is a 6a/579 and is the best quality of your
rim wound clocks,it usually has Jaeger Lecoutre movement although not
marked as so,mounted in a brass case,with brass rim and blue crystal glass,
the manufacture date is generaly 36-40,as these are a very expensive unit.
The specs are Mk II ,8 day,dummy hands for time of trip(mounted in the glass as shown.)the clock shall not accumulate an error of more than 1 minute of
24 hours within 6 days of winding.
Your cannon shell case could be an unfinished salt and pepper shaker or
cigarette lighter that I have seen examples of.
Regards mike