GBMUD Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 Found on a BOAT on Salisbury Plain today, what are these dangerous looking things? John and I found two within 10m of one another - god knows what we had just driven over in the long grass as these were discovered in an open area at the end of the BOAT. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake110 Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 looks like a mortar of some type you did contact range control/police and report location diddent you ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted July 16, 2006 Author Share Posted July 16, 2006 you did contact range control/police and report location diddent you ?? Not yet. What is Range Control's number? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 Not yet. What is Range Control's number?Chris Army Training Estates ATE SALISBURY PLAIN 01980 674 763 from this website http://www.army.mod.uk/ate/index.htm under contacts,might help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted July 16, 2006 Author Share Posted July 16, 2006 ATE SALISBURY PLAIN 01980 674 763 from this website Sadly that number just gives details of what is open and where. I have left voicemail at 01980 620819, apparently the complaints line, so I hope they will get that in the morning. If anyone can offer a number that will be answered today I will try that. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 looks like 88mm mortars. old ones. there's thousands out there, still, better off to report it though. take a grid ref and leave that on their answerphone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted July 16, 2006 Author Share Posted July 16, 2006 there's thousands out there, still, better off to report it though. take a grid ref and leave that on their answerphone. Done. Not much for scale in the pictures, these looked more like 50mm to me. John's girlfriend may have some better pictures. The byway was very overgrown, we had to drive on the GPS to follow it through long grass - I doubt anyone has driven up there for years - needless to say, we drove back in our original wheel tracks! It was a dead end BOAT. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 arent they used 50mm illum mortars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonb Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 Aren't there signs saying there may be ordanance even on the BOATs and you should take care? Seem to remember seeing such signs last time I was up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 Done.Not much for scale in the pictures, these looked more like 50mm to me. John's girlfriend may have some better pictures. The byway was very overgrown, we had to drive on the GPS to follow it through long grass - I doubt anyone has driven up there for years - needless to say, we drove back in our original wheel tracks! It was a dead end BOAT. Chris Is that the one near the Bustard that has about 100yards of no RoW, then strarts again? nice little drive that. i remember when it was one right through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted July 16, 2006 Author Share Posted July 16, 2006 Is that the one near the Bustard that has about 100yards of no RoW, then strarts again?nice little drive that. i remember when it was one right through. No. We did half of that one, Honeydown Bottom, from west to east and back. We resisted the temptation to "jump" the gap. The shells were discovered at SU114501. James, they may have been used but I do not think that they have done the BANG! thing yet. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiWhite Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 I'll second JST, look like used 51mm illum mortar rounds to me. All the fireworks will have popped out the end when fired - probably completely safe but let range control know just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8RRC Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 Hi, In agreement with some of the above comments it looks like these to me. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/inert-51mm-illum-mor...1QQcmdZViewItem Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharger Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 It scares me that similar things are available on Ebay. We had a good day out, drove a couple of lanes that weren't evident on the ground and ended up bouncing through gorse, long grass and 2ft craters in places. When we went up to the zig-zag testing ground (which is marked as a railway(?) on the map at the grid ref Chris gives above) I stopped and then Chris noticed the round above, on the floor in front of my car On both dead-end byways the signs suggested the end of the ROW is marked by a sign - in both cases we couldn't find anything (and didn't want to search too extensively!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 No. We did half of that one, Honeydown Bottom, from west to east and back. We resisted the temptation to "jump" the gap. Yeah... i always resist that little gap...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharger Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Indeed, some photos: There were wires all over the floor here - wire-guided missiles or some kind of monstrous PA system for rock concerts perhaps. We didn't continue to bridge the gap here, tempting though it was. No such signs were evident at the ends of the two other dead-end byways we drove although as I said, we didn't go looking too hard. Exploring a byway which wasn't at all evident on the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharger Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Indeed, the map shows the zig-zag bit to be a trolley line, presumably for dragging things along while they shoot them. It certainly makes an interesting obstacle when driving the lane (which I've marked in red). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted July 17, 2006 Author Share Posted July 17, 2006 Spoke to Lt Col Nigel Linger(sp?) just now. He says that they have never used high explosive rounds up there and agrees that they may be illuminated mortar rounds and, indeed, quite safe. He was interested to hear about our day driving "lost" rights of way but is sadly keen to see a lot of them extinguished - particularly the "tails" of lost rights of way. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharger Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 I can see why he would be keen, since it (may be) his neck on the line when someone heads out across the Plain (perhaps mistakenly thinking they're on a ROW) and then leap high into the air before scattering themselves and their car over a wide area. There's quite a conflict of interest allowing public access to a military impact range. There's no rights of way across Bovington... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzilla7 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Spoke to Lt Col Nigel Linger(sp?) just now. He says that they have never used high explosive rounds up there and agrees that they may be illuminated mortar rounds and, indeed, quite safe. He was interested to hear about our day driving "lost" rights of way but is sadly keen to see a lot of them extinguished - particularly the "tails" of lost rights of way.Chris Hmmm, thought these had been already removed from the definitive map. I know the MOD made an application four or five years ago to do this. Must check out my paperwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzilla7 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 No. We did half of that one, Honeydown Bottom, from west to east and back. We resisted the temptation to "jump" the gap. The shells were discovered at SU114501. James, they may have been used but I do not think that they have done the BANG! thing yet. Chris Use this route - don't turn back at the 'End of Right of Way' signs. This route is marked as a through road on old maps. Also you may notice half way between said signs off to the north (the actual definitive line), there is an old byway finger post pointing in both directions. Use it or lose it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Chris, they have been used, they dont do bang jsut give off light - hence the change in colour of the body from the heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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