...I'm starting to doubt the original post/story......I hope I'm right.
...I'm starting to doubt the original post/story......I hope I'm right.
Sure fire way to ruin a vacation....
I can't understand why folks are so inclined to pick up things they shouldn't...
Smitty
Because it's interesting and it's from the war right?
Then of course there are the scrap hunters; I recall a Cypriot scavenging on the mortar ranges at Pyla who found a nice chunk of metal (an unexploded 81mm mortar) which he gleefully tossed into the bed of his pickup truck. Luckily for him the truck body took most of the force of the resulting blast and he didn't quite lose a whole leg
Famous last words "look at this really cool shell I fou..............."
Regards
Mark
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
Well my friend, I do believe you are lucky to still be alive.
That "unknown" shell, could have gone off at any time, it might have even been a "GAS" shell, who knows?
To pick it up and take it to your vacation home, endangering just about every body in your path is not very bright.
Call the authorities straight away, leave it alone, and pray to god it doesn't explode.
Every year in France and Belgium, children are still being maimed and killed by unexploded ordnance.
Each year in the areas of France and Belgium affected by the horror of the WWI trenches, during the Spring and Autumn ploughing seasons farmers reap the "Iron harvest" of war detritus much of which is unexploded ordnance. They are quite off-hand about it and stack the stuff up at track junctions for the local military engineers to collect at intervals. Maybe this has something to do with the idea that these items are not dangerous but if you look around you will see more than one memorial to those French and Belgian ATO/EOD specialists who have cause to argue the point!
'Nuff said really.
Mark
Last edited by Watchdog; 07-14-2020 at 05:36 PM. Reason: Typo
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
@ Mark,
Had a similar situation happen here at Fort Bliss a few years back.. Metal scavengers were picking up metal ammunition cans and things like that to sell for scrap. One of the folks picked up a 40mm grenade that didn't go off until she tossed it into the back of the truck... Then it went off, then the highway was closed for several hours and 2 women were injured... All for a few pennies...
Smitty
Hey all,
As per your advice, i'll be calling the police and see what they say.
After finding the 3 iron bullet like things on quit a visible spot on a rockbeach and seeing lots of iron around i picked it up and looked at it. It was then i realized it might be a shell. So, made a picture of it, walked to the local lifeguards on the beach and asked what to do with it or if i should report it. They didn't seem the slightest bit impressed by it and made it look like it was the most normal thing to find there (me not speaking french and them not speaking english very much). Therefor i didn't think that much of it and put the thing in the car and took it with me (no it wasn't laying loose and bumping around in the trunk). At home i started to do some research and found this forum.
Ok, so i just called the police and they send someone over. They didn't seem to scarred (at lease at first) and looked at it measured it and took some pictures. They send it to an expert to see if the could safely take it with them or leave it there to be picked up by someone else, i assume the bomb squad. They will come tomorrow.
They asked me to go to the beach tomorrow and call the police again to show where the other 2 are located.
I asked them and this was the second founding in 3 years time. A few kilometers to the south though, they find one each month.
Gr, Kim
Hi Kim,
I’m glad that this happening has gone the way it has, there are two ways it usually goes, the other leads to lots of tears and a funeral, or at least the hospital. A few times while out on the battlefields I’ve witnessed people attempting to handle unexploded ordnance, this stuff was dangerous back then, but today it’s both dangerous and unstable.
My heart was in my mouth when I first opened this thread and saw the post attached to it, fortunately the members here got back to you quickly as one more case of handling this item could’ve been fatal. I just hope no one goes near the other two until they’ve been removed and destroyed.
Regards
Harvey
Kim, you need to ask the moderators to change your user name to Lucky.
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