Hello Danno
I'm always in a moral dilemma.
Should i take the odd momento or not?
Am i stealing or preserving relics?
Would some people and rightly so, think i'm a grave robber?
Stuff that i have found,i have come across without hunting for it.
Ive literally fell over it,or found it whilst i have say down somewhere for a rest after walking.
I have never really liked the idea of poking around around the ground,let alone digging.
Am i being too sentimental,i dont know i'm just not comfortable with it.
I enjoy with interest looking at images of people locating stuff from battlefields,but i dont feel happy really.
I wonder what these people do with human remains.
I have had an answer to that question and the person said ''we never dig near human remains''
-how do these folk know they are about to dig up remains before they have dug?
Small remains dont show up on geophis scans.
Ive said it a million times,battlefields are often mass graves and should be left alone.
Saying that, my relic granatwerfer was a bought relic so who knows where that came from.
I'm in two minds.
One part of me says these things are sacred to the men who used them and they should stay in the soil for others to see.
Other half says,take them i'm doing the farmers a good service and preserving them as a record.
Sometimes i think f**k it,i respect these lost souls and the stuff i have is just iron.
Blimy i'm ranting sorry.
Anyway here is a few of my bits.
The mills,rod grenade,wire,splinters,cap badge,mills spoon i have found on the surface in france and belgium.
(polygon wood area,verdun,ypres.)
Found most of the splinters near to the le grande mine near albert,so i remember the area and the history of the british detonating mines under the german positions with this battlefield rubbish.
On my last trip i never took any photos,which was a bit stupid!!
Ive left some stuff in belgium as i couldnt bring it over here.
The granatwerfer was bought and is in the process of being restored after a rust dip.
The Frence Fouge was given to me and is in early stages of restoration after having been dipped to remove rust before the metal filler comes out.
Thats about it really
I have to repeat this mantra though
I never touch anything that looks like it could be dangerous.
The mils body was totally empty when i found it with day light shining through it and the rod gren the same.
hope your still awake