More Metal Detecting...

Sundays are mostly now going to be spent with half days out doing other hobbies in East Lothian until the woods are lush green again with undergrowth.
2 Days i want to spend walking the route of the now long gone railway line that ran from Longniddry to Gullane,  and the railway route from Pencaitland to Gifford,  a past and present picture threads.

Another is spend more time out with the metal detector,
Sunday i arranged to take friend Dave and his son Jamie out to look for more WW2 cartridges,
i told Jamie he can have all the ones i found so he was eager to go!,  friend Steve joined us too, Steve also has a GARRETT ACE like mine - but the smaller 150, which does as good a job as the bigger 250 model as the day would reveal...

East Lothian WW2 Live Fire Ranges;
During WW2 there were many live fire Pratice Ranges along the coast and out to sea. Most of the coast was closed off to the public as the `Coastal Crust` anti invasion defences were constructed and large areas were mined.
I have already blogged about the Range at Yellowcraig and the wreck of HMS Ludlow, to read about that story and stuff i found click here...

1942...
In 1942 East Fortune Airfield was transferred to RAF No.17 Coastal Command,

Young airmen were trained with  Bristol Beaufort and Beaufighter`s along with other aircraft in Anti Shipping attack...

20mm Hispano ammunition being loaded...

The low level attack training was dangerous, and there were many casualties from crashes...
The trained crews went on to attack the Axis Shipping in the North Sea and inflict a blow in the German Navy and many of the young crews who came from New Zealand and Australia to be trained, then returned home to take the fight to Japanese shipping...

Steve`s dad was in the Home Guard here in East Lothian during the war and  told Steve of another area to go have a look at.. We went this morning and spent a couple of hours...

I`m not revealing where this is as we have just scratched the surface but the place is littered with 20mm Hispano cartridges!, and the sand is so dry here even the belt clips are there!, and they like the cartridges are in perfect condition despite laying buried by undergrowth and sand for over 70 years...

Here is some film...
click on the cog icon to view in HD

Song is `The XX Intro`...