It should be noted that the M.E.N. shares the Press's enthusiasm for the attention-grabbing headline, sometimes at the expense of attention to detail or close examination of the facts.
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
Perhaps a 12.5 kg P.u.W. - http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30024003 - presumably there were Zeppelin raids in those parts of the country? Saw a map once which showed strikes all over the country during the course of hostilities. The P.u.W.s were designed for penetration and could easily be imagined dropping through to a cellar.
A few years ago, during a firearms amnesty, it was widely reported that a man in Scotland had handed in a "WWI anti-tank gun." It will probably still show up on Google. I contacted the police officer who had been quoted, and explained that it must be German. "Oh no," he said, "it's British." Turned out to be a Boys AT from WWII. So I expect this item will prove to be far from exotic.
Stephen, acc to my calculations the PuW was 5'6" long.
I shall keep you informed.
-- Edited by James H on Thursday 1st of November 2012 01:21:33 PM
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
Can imagine if I was a WW1 British anti tank gun... Would have been an 18 pounder! Someone in the comments suggested it could be a WW2 German incendiary bomb which would Match up for size
Stephen, acc to my calculations the PuW was 5'6" long.
I shall keep you informed.
-- Edited by James H on Thursday 1st of November 2012 01:21:33 PM
Came in a number of sizes, but even the smallest (12.5 kg) must have been considerably longer than "a foot" (but rather a lot shorter than 5'6"). Incendiaries were supposed to be 25 kg - and those were not at all robust.
Yes whatever it was will be interesting to discover. About the size of a WW2 "3 inch" mortar shell from the sounds of it. Practice rounds were a common souvenir is the postwar years, we used to play with them - well one of them - as kids. These days such carryings-on would be enough to shut down a city. Oh well, these days also we have learned magistrates describing .22 pea rifles as "shotguns" in their directions to the jury and the defence not knowing any better. If all of this were accompanied by universal peace and a reduction in violence we could be satisfied but, alas ...
My money's on a mortar round - WW2 3" inert firing practice.
The disappointingly inconclusive state of play on this, from the reporter who covered the original story:
"I'm afraid an ID hasn't been made over this. We've tried to contact residents of the house involved but they don't seem keen to talk to us about it. I'll persevere and let you know how if I dig anything up (pun intended)."
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
