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The Archaeology Thread
- Thread starter ExREME.TECH
- Start date
War hero
How about some WW2 experimental aviation stuff?
World War Two experimental catapult unearthed by archaeologists
The prototype catapult is unearthed at the former site of RAF Harwell in Oxfordshire.
www.bbc.co.uk
The-hippie
LE
Beat me to it!How about some WW2 experimental aviation stuff?
World War Two experimental catapult unearthed by archaeologists
The prototype catapult is unearthed at the former site of RAF Harwell in Oxfordshire.www.bbc.co.uk
It's not summat I've heard about though, RATO yes but not catapults though it does make sense.
BlipDriver
LE
How about some WW2 experimental aviation stuff?
World War Two experimental catapult unearthed by archaeologists
The prototype catapult is unearthed at the former site of RAF Harwell in Oxfordshire.www.bbc.co.uk
Ah well, there’s no shame in being third.
Can definitely see the logic in the development of the idea, but can also see why it was abandoned.
At least with all that concrete there’s no problem keeping the section straight, but imagine shovelling/barrowing out the circular bit?
The-hippie
LE
Kinell, how many times have you been told to keep the section straight & not to chase features!Ah well, there’s no shame in being third.
Can definitely see the logic in the development of the idea, but can also see why it was abandoned.
At least with all that concrete there’s no problem keeping the section straight, but imagine shovelling/barrowing out the circular bit?
Spigot mortar for defence?How about some WW2 experimental aviation stuff?
World War Two experimental catapult unearthed by archaeologists
The prototype catapult is unearthed at the former site of RAF Harwell in Oxfordshire.www.bbc.co.uk
@Listy , please expand on this!
BlipDriver
LE
Probably sounded better than “circular gun emplacement“
Isn’t the gun a Naval Oerlikon though?
Likely a normal holdfast.
Brookmans Park's WWII spigot mortar emplacements
Brookmans Park's Spigot Mortar Emplacements: Hidden deep in the hedgerow on the north-east side of Brookmans Park is an almost perfectly preserved record of one of the local wartime defences. It's a spigot mortar emplacement, and it's where soldiers, possibly Local Defence Volunteers (later...
Just google 'Spigot mortar Emplacement' and there'll be hundreds of pictures and links. I'm not being snarky here, its just there's so many pictures of the millions of different designs I could be posting links for the next six hours and not get anywhere. The above link was one I randomly grabbed from the front page of google. Lots of local history associations have looked at their and put it on the web.
It's a concrete pedestal, which a Blacker bombard could be plonked onto to provide a firing position. Usually sited in triples, so if the gun was detected it could be lifted up and moved to an alternative firing position. And usually within 500 yards of an choke point. I've seen several posted and in most cases when asking the photographer about the local area there'll be a bridge, dip in the road or tight corner somewhere nearby which the position overlooks.
Over 18,000 were constructed during the war.
You may be wondering why there's be a predominately HG weapon on an airfield, that was likely down to how Airfield defence was organised during the war. Each airfield had a Station Defence Officer. his Job was to oversee the local area defence (including close in AA) with Airmen taken from the airbase. He also liaised with other local forces. It's quiet possible that as it was a high value research site the Station Defence forces had extra firepower, or maybe they got the local HG to deploy one of their mortars there.
Of course all that assumes that the identification of the Spigot mortar site is accurate. It could be some lasses washing line fastening point miss-identified by a journo who needs to be told who won the Second World War for all I know without pictures.
BlipDriver
LE
Likely a normal holdfast.
Brookmans Park's WWII spigot mortar emplacements
Brookmans Park's Spigot Mortar Emplacements: Hidden deep in the hedgerow on the north-east side of Brookmans Park is an almost perfectly preserved record of one of the local wartime defences. It's a spigot mortar emplacement, and it's where soldiers, possibly Local Defence Volunteers (later...www.northmymmshistory.uk
Just google 'Spigot mortar Emplacement' and there'll be hundreds of pictures and links. I'm not being snarky here, its just there's so many pictures of the millions of different designs I could be posting links for the next six hours and not get anywhere. The above link was one I randomly grabbed from the front page of google. Lots of local history associations have looked at their and put it on the web.
It's a concrete pedestal, which a Blacker bombard could be plonked onto to provide a firing position. Usually sited in triples, so if the gun was detected it could be lifted up and moved to an alternative firing position. And usually within 500 yards of an choke point. I've seen several posted and in most cases when asking the photographer about the local area there'll be a bridge, dip in the road or tight corner somewhere nearby which the position overlooks.
Over 18,000 were constructed during the war.
You may be wondering why there's be a predominately HG weapon on an airfield, that was likely down to how Airfield defence was organised during the war. Each airfield had a Station Defence Officer. his Job was to oversee the local area defence (including close in AA) with Airmen taken from the airbase. He also liaised with other local forces. It's quiet possible that as it was a high value research site the Station Defence forces had extra firepower, or maybe they got the local HG to deploy one of their mortars there.
Of course all that assumes that the identification of the Spigot mortar site is accurate. It could be some lasses washing line fastening point miss-identified by a journo who needs to be told who won the Second World War for all I know without pictures.
Of course all that assumes that the identification of the Spigot mortar site is accurate. It could be some lasses washing line fastening point miss-identified by a journo who needs to be told who won the Second World War for all I know without pictures.
Shamelessly nicked from Excavations at Harwell investigate experimental WW2 catapult
Yeah that's a spigot site. Almost textbook. The recesses in the walls were ammo bays. Enemy expected from the direction of the top right corner. Obviously going to be held by the green fencing
Interesting the Holdfast is missing.
BlipDriver
LE
As an addon, I just stumbled across this:How about some WW2 experimental aviation stuff?
World War Two experimental catapult unearthed by archaeologists
The prototype catapult is unearthed at the former site of RAF Harwell in Oxfordshire.www.bbc.co.uk
Harwell RAE Mark III catapult - 3D model by MOLA
This detailed 3D model was created by archaeologists during their excavation of the remains of the catapult. The Mark III catapult was originally developed to literally catapult bomber planes into the air. There are several reasons why you’d need a ‘plane catapult’, including being able to...
sketchfab.com
Clicking on the MOLA link got me to their archive of 3D models. I may spend some time here later...
Industrial archaeology in Wales.
Wales’ Indiana Jones searching for lost mines in hills
Wooden crates still packed with dynamite sticks and even graves have been among his discoveries.
www.bbc.co.uk
ExREME.TECH
LE
It was found within 50m (164ft) of a Tudor silver gilt hooked tag by the same detectorist near Frinton, Essex. Miss Rogerson, the county's finds liaison officer, believes the items were probably lost at the same time
Why? And this gets me. They have been in a farmers field for 100s years.
As the ring is battered and cracked and the hooked tag damaged, Miss Rogerson believes they may have belonged to the same person who was taking them to be recycled at the time they were lost.
As someone ho's dug up more than their fair share of battered and cracked artefacts (but no gold!), I wonder why the FLO thinks that they were being taken to be weighed in? I would have assumed that apart from the expected wear an tear from daily use, some of the damage would be the result of being buried in the ground and occasionally given a good churn by a plough or rabbits.
