anyone any infomation please?!

[dalimac]

Hi there,

we have been metal detecting and recently found lots of different world war 2 cartridges on the beach. We live in Southport NW England and was wondering if anyone had any information how they all got there or any information at all please!

1 x RG 1942 20MM
4 x RH 1942 20MM
1 x BMARC 1941 20MM-IZ ( then a letter B in a diamond <B> )
3 x K2 1943 20MM
1 x H 1942 20MM
1 x GB 1942 VIV
2 x k2 1943 VII


Thank you very much

Ali and Dale

[waffenamt]

Southport! Thats not so far from were i live.
Only explanation i can can think of is perhaps it was captured ammo being tested?


cheers

waff

[TimG]

British 20mm
RG = Radway Green
RH = Raleigh (as in pedal cycles) (If my memory serves me correctly)
BMARC = British Manufacturing and Research Company
K2 = ICI, Kynoch, Standish
H = I don't know

GB = Greenwood + Batley
k2 = ICI, Kynoch, Standish

Tim. G.

[bombmonki]

The H is from Halls telephone Company, Dowlais, South Wales. Found only on Hispano 20mm manufactured between 1939-45.

Leo M.

[waffenamt]

Thats my `captured ammo test` theory up the creek! Its all Brit ammo then eh?

I really ought to study small arms codes a bit more!

Thanks guys for the help on this.

best

waff

[Falcon]

I think the <B> is Bridgeport Brass Co., Connecticut, USA. They manufactured 20mm Hispano cases with the BMARC headstamp to be loaded by the British Manufacturing and Research Company in Grantham, Lincs. There are also cases found marked "BMARC" without the diamond. These were made by Kynoch.

I take it the last two are .303 Rifle cartridges. Are you sure the headstamp on "GB 1942 VIV" actually says that and not "VII"? The "VII" on British .303 Ammunition indicates a Ball Mark 7 bullet. There never was a "VIV" headstamp.

[dalimac]

just cleaned it up a bit more and yes it is VII. I presume the bottom two were some kind of hand ammunition as they were alot smaller!

Thank you to everyone for your help!

[Falcon]

The 20mm Cases were fired in the Hispano-Suiza HS.404 Automatic cannon, which was an aircraft and anti aircraft gun of French design that was manufactured and used by the UK during WW2. The smaller rounds are .303 Inch calibre rifle rounds, which were fired from the famous Lee Enfield rifles, the standard issue rifle of UK forces at the time. The .303 was also used in machine guns such as the Vickers, Bren etc.

[dalimac]

here are some pics of my finds some still need cleaning up a little more but they are getting there.

[LANCS-AMR]

There was a Air to Ground gunnery range on the beach, it was very popular with Spitfires, Beaufighters and Typhoons operating out of RAF woodvale, some of the targets used were some of the old wrecks acted as targets, they used to turn up regularly in the sand processing plant at the top of the Marine Drive (no longer there)