Return to `Site X` metal detecting again...

 

Back out metal detecting at `Site X` again last week with friend Liam after we did a bit WW2 exploration digging somewhere else looking for stuff - that will be in another post once I return to do some more err digging. after that I took Liam to the undisclosed location which if you watch this video I made from several years ago how this wood was in the flight path of a WW2 Coastal Command Live Fire Range on the coastline - most of East Lothians coast line was out of bounds to the Public in WW2 away from coastal villages and towns and both heavily fortified against invasion and some areas were used for live fore training...

Liam loved it and I let him take away his finds to polish up...

We were only there an hour but still find all these Hispano 20mm cartridges.

Next day I went back as G on dayshift and spent a couple of hours there and ended up with an impressive haul. When I first went there I found out quickly that no one had been metal detecting there, there was even cartridges lying on the ground!, I think I have harvested several hundred if not more over the years.

2 steps and PING!

Couple of the magazine clips too...

Soon filled the bag and I was off home...

40  20mm Hispano cartridges and some nice .303 cartridges, all preserved in sand for 80 years

Keeping the good ones to really polish up for the military collection I cleaned the rest and put them in the Jeep to give to any Jeep fans I meet when out and about...

More soon...

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`...