Souvenir disaster

[Desmond7]

Rifleman Alexander Orr, 12th Btn. RIR who belongs to Glenarm, has been severely injured in France. He was trying to separate the two parts of the nosecap of a shell which he had found in the trenches and which he had brought to his billet as a souvenir. There was an unexploded fuse on the cap and it went off with the result that he was injured in the had, leg and hands. He was immediately removed to hospital.

From December 1915

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

I dont know how common but my late Uncle Harold,Whilst serving in the Western Desert with the 1st Army in WW2,despite repeated warnings to leave ALL found Souvenirs,well alone,couldn't resist a Bottle of Beer found in a Dugout~"BooooM!!"~Result the loss of virtually all digits on his right hand!{Silly B**ger didnt learn post~War he decided to follow a Plank of Wood down a Machining Tool & promptly removed the remaing Digits from the other Hand!!}On the other hand{Xcuse Dreadful pun!}My Uncle Ron serving in Italy,with RAF MT; saw a Beautiful Italian Pistol sitting on a windowledge of a Battle damaged Building,but having been warned off so often,about Booby traps & Souvenirs ,decided Judgement was the better part of Valour & left it there.....Regretting it for 40 odd years after!

[Jim Gordon]

Desmond 7

Certainly in WW2 the main TNT charge of a shell was detonated by the "flash" from the fuse in the nose-cap being transmitted to it through a small hole in the wall separating the fuse from the main charge. When static this hole was covered by a metal disc or flap. The circular flap was pivoted over the hole on one edge. When in flight the spin imparted to the shell opened the flap by centrifugal force thus exposing the main charge to the "flash".

Do you know if this system was in use in WW1?

Regards

Jim Gordon

[PhilB]

I think it`s still a hazard with WW1 nosecones. I went to pick one up in a farmer`s yard that had a steel (?) tube sticking out of it, about 1" diam x 4" long. The farmer stopped me, saying (in fluent French) "BOOM BOOM", with suitable gesticulation. I understood perfectly! You don`t often see them in that state, but they`re well left alone if you do. Phil B

[Steve Bramley]

From 1/5th Lincolnshire Bn War Diary May 1915.

[Desmond7]

I've checked the CWGC and it seems Orr must have survived his wounds - but he must have been in awful shape.

Sorry I can't help with fuses, nosecaps etc. ...

Thanks for the replies folks. V.interesting stories.

I can't help thinking that this guy who had only just arrived in the trenches was thinking about how well his souvenir would look on the mantlepiece when he brought/sent it home. I don't know enough about his history - maybe it was to be a present for his wife, mother, child?

And then 'bang' .... screams and horror. I'm also pretty amazed at how frank the report is .. but then I've read equally frank reports about accidental discharges where one soldier has killed his mate.

Cheers Des

[johnreed]

On firing the fuze is subject to three motions. 1 Setback (Kick up the rear when the gun is fired)

2. Creep forward.

3 Centrifugal Force

All these actions together move shutters and safe devices so that combined arm the fuze.

It would take too long to explain in detail the action and methoad employed.

See attached cut awayfuze section.

John

[PhilB]

John, this one I (almost) picked up was like your drawing but with the extra piece sticking out below (ie into the shell body). That should, presumably, have been blown off? Phil B

[Staffsyeoman]

And it went on.. I had to show a training film to new recruits titled 'Designed to Kill' , hosted by Shaw 'Keep 'em peeled' Taylor, where three remorse ridden soldiers (all actors, in reality - one squad took great glee in pointing out that the 'Sergeant' had been spotted in East Enders) told their sad tales of dropping their guard with munitions and pyrotechnics. One was the indirect tale of the fellow whose roommate found a mortar shell nosecap and thought it would be fun to dismantle it. "I should have stopped him..." (Too right, mate!).

You know the rest....

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Booby traps...............I lived to tell the tale but am 50% deaf as a result.

[Marco]

Now how did this one get.....

Regards,

Marco

[Marco]

From a bloke I would have liked:

"I've got some more things for you: (1) a ball bomb, (2) a light friction bomb, (3) nose cap of 77-millimetre fieldgun shell, aluminium, and (4) a complete 77-millimetre shell. Nos. 1 and 2 both have the explosive still in them, but are perfectly innocuous, as there is no detonator in them. They can get thrown about. Live bombs without detonators are used for practice throwing. They can't possibly go off. No.4 is rather nice. I found it lying in front of my trenches the other morning. The shell had exploded badly and only the fuse had blown out. The empty case is quite complete and intact. It is the ordinary German field-gun shell which is nicknamed 'Little Willy,' 'Pip-squeak,' or 'Whizz-bang.' The two bombs are of an obsolete pattern. The light friction is a very good bomb charged with high explosive which kills within a radius of about six yards only by the force of the explosion. One can throw them and stand and watch them burst with perfect safety. Other types scatter bits about and have been known to kill at 100 yards. The light friction bomb is merely a tin case full of lyddite."

and:

"I was awfully glad that the Boche helmet is such a success. Would you like a skull to go with it? The rain is disclosing all sorts of interesting souvenirs behind my trenches. There is a little osier-bed in front of a hedge, and evidently two shallow pits were dug and dead Boches were bundled in anyhow. The pits are now sinking a little, and boots, bones, clothes, and all sorts of debris are sticking out. There are two fine skulls there. I carried one on the end of my stick and planted him at the head of a communication trench, but it has been removed."

http://www.xs4all.nl/~aur/Individuals/crouch.htm

Regards,

Marco