RAOC WW2 site – October 8th 2017

The local metal detecting group had a dig at a local estate, on which was an old RAOC base. The Loughborough Coin & Search Society (LCSS), very kindly invited me along, and let me go through their scrap buckets to recover WW2 relics. Even better still, the society secretary, John Maloney, accompanied me to a patch of woodland where I knew there were WW2 relics, and kindly donated all his finds to my collection! Hence, even though I was only there for a couple of hours, I accumulated quite a haul of WW2 relics.

I hit a patch of land that was giving signals all over the place, and I thought I’d found an area of cartridge cases. Turns out I’d hit a dump area with lots of metal lids of various toiletry jars and boot polish lids!

DSC_2971_01 — Spoon, (unmarked unfortunately), 2 transport caps from artillery shell tracers, nice toothpaste tube. Top is the remains of a pen knife

303 cartridge cases. Far left is not live….it’s an inspection round

Headstamp of 303 inspection round showing lack of percussion cap and headstamp

Cenral column from a No 36m grenade and a Service Igniter, Safety Fuze, Percussion Mark III

Buckles from strapping to secure 25lber shells during transit

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Bronze screw caps similar to the National Benzole cap were used to secure tubs of Viper Equipment – filled with nitro glycerine (desensitised with dintrophenol). I escorted these to Stranraer for dumping at sea but maybe one or two were found too sensitive to transport and were somehow disposed of on site – without hazarding the obelisk on its four stone balls – I heard it was a Courts Marshal if that was ever felled.

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