Bomb disposal/UXB puzzler photo?

[LEI-13-HG]

Hello chaps
I wonder if anyone knows what this photo shows?
I found this glass slide in my company's archives this afternoon.
It shows what seems quite clearly to be a RE BD team in a field in Leicestershire one hot summer.
The men are clearly pleased with themselves at having dug something up from the trench at the front of the photo - they have pick-axes, shovels and what looks like a set of shear-legs lying on the floor behind them.
The object they are holding is the puzzler.
The part on the right looks like a once-domed tail end of a bomb and the large central pipe looks possibly like a central exploder tube.
From Pawlas, the US German Ordnance manual, ARP Objects Dropped From the Air etc, it looks like it could be part of a Flam 500, but the pipe they are holding seems a little wider and not so long as in the diagrams, though it has the end cap the man fourth from left is holding in his hands.
The whole thing does look quite shiny and oily too. I know men were men in those days, but would they have been holding it with their bare hands as I know bomb explosive etc often gave dermatitis?
What do you reckon?
Thanks
Austin

 

[blu97]

Part of a German smoke bomb NC 250?.

 

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

I thought they were holding the large Stokes mortar.
John

 

[Yodamaster]

Hmm, good view, BLU97 ! Effectively, if it is not the central tube of a NC 250, it is very, very, very similar !


Yoda

 

[US-Subs]

The same burster (and additional variations) was used in the KC-250 chemical bombs. While Germany never used them during the war, the UK took 70,000 of them home after the war for stockpile. Some were also emptied, some were tested - could also be the result of a post-war simulant (no live agent) test.

 

[Yodamaster]

If they handle the remains of a chemical bomb without gloves, hello the damages !


yoda

 

[US-Subs]

If it were a test piece with just simulant, no problem. They had plenty to play with, certainly. Some live ones were taken to Canada for testing as well.

 

[LEI-13-HG]

Hi guys
Thanks for your answers.
The smoke/chemical bomb could well make sense.
I was reading a report by a local civil defence officer who wrote:

'It is interesting to note that though poison gas was not used [in the UK] during the war, the Gas Identification Service was called into action on several occasions. For example in June 1940, a Gas Identification Officer was sent to an incident at Ashby Magna, Leicestershire, to investigate some puzzling features that seemed to indicate a gas bomb. After investigations the G.I.O. and Senior Gas Adviser came to the conclusion that the incident was due to an oil bomb which burst underground. This was one of the first oil bombs dropped on this country by the enemy.'

I have heard that some German chemical bombs could be filled with a smoke agent as an alternative filling. Perhaps this means they could also be filled with oil and used an oil bomb?
The weather in the photo looks very hot and sunny - like June 1940 - perhaps the photo was taken at the incident above?

Austin