24pdr Boxer Diaphragm Shell

[Steve Andrews]

I found this 19th century British 24 pounder Boxer diaphragm shell in 2018 with my PI machine, which I no longer have (I now use a 'nox 600 on the beach)

[Ridge Runner]

Hi Steve

 Up front I want you to know that I know less than nothing about what you got. I do know that a guy had collected a number of cannon balls that had a charge in them . One day one fall off the stack he had outside and exploded. The old boy was out there when it went off and now he’s history.

 The odd thing they said they had been out there for years.

 All I’m saying is just be safe.

 Chuck Anders 

[Steve Andrews]

Thanks Ridge Runner. The fuze was wooden and has rotted away. The explosive element was a small charge designed only to open the ball in flight, so that the lead shrapnel balls could rain down on the target area. The larger cavity below the diaphragm holds the shrapnel balls, packed in coal dust.

On this shell the bursting charge cavity was wet and mainly empty and I flushed out the remaining powder residue.

[kac]

Cool find. I tend to stick with stuff that fits in my scoop. Ridge Runner is right on that, you should be really careful. Few weeks back buddy and I were on the river and he had a target, moved a rock out of the way and rested his PP on it and the PP went nuts. Turned out he rested his PP on an Mk 2 grenade. Top had long rotted away in and wasn't much left but the base but still scary stuff.

[Steve Andrews]

It's not uncommon to come across live ordnance here, due to the island's location on the Atlantic Wall. In the last couple of years I've found live small arms and heavy machine gun rounds, 20mm cannon projectiles, numerous mortar bombs in 5cm, 51mm, 8cm and 81mm, and artillery shells in 75, 88, 100 and 210mm. 

When I come across live ordnance I will photograph it, rebury it and record a GPS position, before sending the information to our local EOD officer when I get home.