Donald Berrigan
New Member
Good afternoon,
I'm a new member from Canada searching for an answer to a puzzling question.
During renovations to a family summer cottage near Quebec City, Canada, a 9,3mm long cartridge was found bearing an unfamiliar headstamp. We suspected the cartridge originally came from the town of Lesquielles Saint-Germain in northern France. We assumed the ordnance resulted from a ‘dog fight’ between the Handley Page Halifax B II BB 343 EQ X (408 squadron) bomber my uncle was piloting and the German nighfighter. The bomber was brought down by the German nightfighter and crashed April 17th 1943 in the early morning hours bringing to their death the 7 member RCAF / RAF crew. Two years after the war ended, another uncle of mine and brother of the deceased pilot visited the crash site and was given the cartridge, so we think, by a citizen of Lesquielles Saint-Germain.
I had the cartridge analyzed by the Canadian War Museum (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) also providing them with the required photos and measurements. After analysis, their response was that the Germans weren’t using 25mm aviation canons. They used only 20 or 30mm canons. They added that the socket is rimfire and has no collar, therefore it is not a 25mm AA/AT French canon. They thought the cartridge came from a Nordenfelt 1 inch canon dating back to the end of the 1800’s or the beginning of the 1900’s. The Canadian War Museum suggested I contact the British Ordnance Collectors Network because they do not have good references on the Nordenfelt.
Can you help me unravel the mystery, if any, surrounding this cartridge?
Thank you.
I'm a new member from Canada searching for an answer to a puzzling question.
During renovations to a family summer cottage near Quebec City, Canada, a 9,3mm long cartridge was found bearing an unfamiliar headstamp. We suspected the cartridge originally came from the town of Lesquielles Saint-Germain in northern France. We assumed the ordnance resulted from a ‘dog fight’ between the Handley Page Halifax B II BB 343 EQ X (408 squadron) bomber my uncle was piloting and the German nighfighter. The bomber was brought down by the German nightfighter and crashed April 17th 1943 in the early morning hours bringing to their death the 7 member RCAF / RAF crew. Two years after the war ended, another uncle of mine and brother of the deceased pilot visited the crash site and was given the cartridge, so we think, by a citizen of Lesquielles Saint-Germain.
I had the cartridge analyzed by the Canadian War Museum (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) also providing them with the required photos and measurements. After analysis, their response was that the Germans weren’t using 25mm aviation canons. They used only 20 or 30mm canons. They added that the socket is rimfire and has no collar, therefore it is not a 25mm AA/AT French canon. They thought the cartridge came from a Nordenfelt 1 inch canon dating back to the end of the 1800’s or the beginning of the 1900’s. The Canadian War Museum suggested I contact the British Ordnance Collectors Network because they do not have good references on the Nordenfelt.
Can you help me unravel the mystery, if any, surrounding this cartridge?
Thank you.
