All that stuff left over from two world wars can still be dangerous. This kid is very lucky to say the least. (warning some what graphic.)
WWI bomb found by teen explodes and riddles him with 50 pieces of shrapnel | Daily Mail Online
All that stuff left over from two world wars can still be dangerous. This kid is very lucky to say the least. (warning some what graphic.)
WWI bomb found by teen explodes and riddles him with 50 pieces of shrapnel | Daily Mail Online
Boys will be boys. During the war my father and a friend "found" an unexploded V1 flying bomb on marshland and they thought that it would be a good idea to get up close to it, "just to have a look". Fortunately because it was on marshland they were unable to get that close to it.
My sergeant-major, in the army cadets, always said never touch anything that you find resembling unexploded ordnance.
Glad the young fellow is still wandering around capable of talking about it. He still has his life and most of him intact. That's a good outcome, considering the alternate. He'll have a very different view on safety and risk for the rest of his life. Hope he teaches and inspires others from his experience.
Good advice to follow.
While it would be cool to dig up a bunch of silver roman coins, there is a risk involved of hitting something like that with a shovel.
Certainly lucky to not have sustained worse injuries. But it is illegal to use metal detectors without a licence in France. Normally you have to an archeologist and have a valid reason to use it.
However very few people take note of the law; which is there to prevent this type of situation; as well as the destruction of potentially interesting archeological sites by treasure hunters.
A high percentage of WWI ordnance did not explode on impact due to the mud. There's still plenty of it lying around in those areas.
My nephew did a 12 month stint in the Solomons with the AFP and reckons there is enough ordnance left there to keep the UXB guys going for 100 years.
You watch Youtube all the time and see guys over there hunting through battlefields full of UXO. I always cringe when they point out something lying in wait. Wonder how many get what this kid got. I don't believe he was actually hunting coins either...hunting whatever he could find...
I used to find many HE 2" mortar rounds, that failed to go off due to the soft moorland ground, of course I dug with care all the time, as I never knew what it was untill it was in daylight, found many things on the old WW2 training areas......
I was cautioned from an old guy in the village regarding some lads who had found a grenade in the 50's, I cant remember if they tried to defuse it or were playing with it, but am sure one died, the others suffered a few injuries.
The old guy is long gone also the bloke who showed me the moors passed away not long back.
It was many years later that a mate uncovered a HE round in a totally different location, obviously over time the Danger becomes far more clear at 30 than it was when I was 13.....
They may have reattached his booger hook and he'll have a story to go with the wicked scars but he's going to be haunted by the damage done to the hand later in life. Once arthritis sets in, as most of us have learned.
Hopefully the lad can get over the mental trauma so it doesn't kill his adventurous spirit. I hope he keeps digging.
Potential Darwin nominee. I seen too often folks who pick UXBs on range and kill themselves and others around them thinking they are safe and will not go off. Having 22 years experience teaching explosives, UXBs are not like a fine wine and gets better with age. The most recent one in the news was the WWII aerial bomb that exploded in a farmer's field. The worst I believe is the WWI Mustard Gas shells as the shells corrode and rust, the agent is leaking out of the shells.
"...keep the UXB guys going for 100 years..." The French(their Department of Mine Clearance disposes of about 900 tons of unexploded munitions every year.) and Belgians have special units who do nothing but dispose of ordnance dug by farmers. Isn't just HE either. They're digging up W. W. I vintage gas shells, hand grenades, bombs assorted and every other type of ordnance. Reuters figures there's another 100 years worth of W.W. I munitions alone. The USAF and RAF dropped 2.7 million tons of bombs between 1940 and 1945 on Germany alone.
And that doesn't include the assorted training areas. There's a W.W. II CF training area north west of here that was used as an Army Cadet Summer camp and militia training for eons. We were not allowed to use any of the bush due to UXB stuff. One of my Cadets found a mortar round sticking out of the ground.
Personally, I don't see the appeal of or interest in "metal detecting" at all. It would be investing to know what percentage of a "metal detector's " time is spent finding nothing or nothing of any value or interest in relation to actually finding something of interest and or of value. If a "metal detector" decides to "detect" over an area of ground that was once a battlefield I don't understand the surprise when unexploded ordinance is found. If that unexploded ordinance is hit hard with something like a shovel, one shouldn't be surprised if there is then a big bang.
On Wednesday evening I could not get home because our street was closed off by Police. A construction site crew had uncovered a WWII bomb. This was under the school playground thats being dug up in the 16th arrondisemnt of Paris.
According to the Police officer I was speaking to;it's quite a common occurence; especially in the neighbouring Boulogne Bilancourt area. The Renault factories there were producing military vehicles; so got quite regular visits.
A couple of years ago a chap in the Eure et Loir region should have got a Darwin award! He had collected around 70 WWI items; he dropped one while cleaning it and it exploded; he was seriously injured. The neighbourhood was evacuated while the Bomb Disposal team removed the rest for destruction.
Glad you mentioned he "should" have, as it needs to be full commitment to the outcome, not just enthusiastic participation... ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by 30Three
As has been said before, you can't fix stupid with duct tape or WD40...
The appeal is finding the 'big one" ( a roman or similar treasure hoard) although as a kid I spent many summer days on old Army training grounds etc, later the attraction of digging up .303 cases and parachute flare cases etc got lesser as I read up on lost treasure, old Roman Fortes and sites etc although it never stopped at the Romans.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flying10uk
A good Detectorist will do his homework first, it can take a lot of research to identify a particular spot or an older treasure find etc, its not just a case of going in a field and going round in circles, but its normally a start when your a kid.
On Very hot days a lot of folk head to the beaches, its surprising how much change you can find, plus the odd ring ........... you can find a lot of junk also, but you can discriminate against it, you soon learn to distinguish between junk and coins regarding your read out on the detector.
Regarding the time spent and the value of the finds, its all relevant to what your looking for........
Surely reasonable steps would need to be taken to find the rightful owner of any valuables found in such circumstances, i.e. lost in recent times/history, such as handing in the item at a police station, so that the rightful owner has the chance to claim it back?Quote:
Originally Posted by bigduke6
Theft by finding - Wikipedia
As one who partakes in the hobby and has found a diamond ring on the beach I can answer your question. Finders keepers, Losers weepers. After hours of pull tabs, bottle tops, aluminum cans, etc. I claim salvage rights on your ring!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Flying10uk