Dear all, could anyone please help me identify the attached items and advise me as to what to do with them! I have recently moved into a cottage (dated 1900) and have discovered these items in a barn, along with a ? mark XIV supermarine spitfire altimeter (with etched number on the back I think) and a compass in a box (and other various bits) I also think I have an underground bunker/Anderson shelter but I have not tackled that yet! Please excuse my lack of knowledge on this matter, I have contacted your administrator prior to registering and he advised me to seek your help. Many thanks.
I believe that is the nose cap of a proximity fuze. If you had a photo with some sort of scale, it could probably be identified as coming from an anti-aircraft vs artillery shell.
Hello Kodiak Bear, It's about 4 and a half inches tall with the following markings: m1 V1 nurG BE1 (I think) with numbers timing down in 2s. I have not attempted to clean either. The other is smaller and similar but has a protruding stalk? underneath.
I'm probably using incorrect terminology when calling it a proximity fuze. There are a lot of artillery and AA fuzes that could be set for a particular time or distance and only the ones using radio/radar technology would be a proximity fuze.. I'm not sure what type of fuze those are, though I'm 99% sure they are fuzes of some type. We do have some artillery types around here and I'm sure somebody will be along with amplifying information.
Those are definitely fuzes. They appear to be time fuzes for heavy artillery (given your measurements, these are likely too big for AA guns). I'm trying to dig up some information now.
Thank you for your information, I appreciate your time. I have lived around Heathrow all my life and know that there were several airstrips here during the war therefore I am assuming that the previous owner found these items from shrapnel hunting during the war. Is there any way I can trace the spitfire to which the altimeter belongs to? View attachment 18897
Thank you for your information, I appreciate your time. I have lived around Heathrow all my life and know that there were several airstrips here during the war therefore I am assuming that the previous owner found these items from shrapnel hunting during the war. Is there any way I can trace the spitfire to which the altimeter belongs to? View attachment 18897
I can tell you with relative certainty that the fuze is not from the First World War. If it is, it is not British, French or German. It is likely from WWII. I can't find which, but it isn't one of the 'common' British fuzes.
Thank you. I thought that the symbols were chemical and possibly German. I honestly don't know. I thought v1 was something to do with the doodlebug (I was scouring the Internet for information earlier) I appreciate your help. Kind regards, Rebecca.
