Here's an old 1931 newspaper clipping I have for one of mine (Tom S. Young), also has James G. Young on there. Two Youngs buried in the West Cemetery within an hour of each other?


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...t_cemetery.jpg

Rocket Apparatus House 1921 Map

I never cease to be impressed with what you can find on here! 3 x Isabella Youngs' as well it must have been a common name then!

Meanwhile, he is a small selection of projectiles I have found on the beach.Sorry about the photos one with flash, one without, not got a great camera at the moment

Hence the name
White House Sands beach between cliff house and saltpans.,On rocket Hill there was a weather /???? basket that was raised daily by coastguard.the new coastguard houses were at west side of hill now private dwellings. didn't the old coastguard houses overlook the little shore , now private also .

Correct Leslie, there was a flagpole on the rocket hill on which a basket was raised, something to do with the tides or weather.
The houses at the end of Bay View were the original coastguard houses.
The rocket apparatus house was used by fishermen to store lobster pots etc until it was used as a shelter, this was as previously stated, a bit of a mistake as it was the target of vandalism and was eventually demolished after several incidents of fires.

Interesting assortment. The two long pointed .303's are tracer or armour piercing rounds. probably tracer, if so there will be a brass disk in the bottom with a small hole in it.. smaller stumpy copper jackets are 9mm, generally shot out of a sten gun, but they are also used in automatic pistols.

Someone was definitely using a .45 revolver on the Amble dunes at sometime as I've found very old looking cartridge cases for such a gun, unfortunately undated.

Does anybody know about the lead and iron ball shot? The lead ones look very much like musket balls but I would have thought they would be too early to be found on a late 19C range?

Several possibilities for explanation to Lead Balls ,.

Black powder guns being used on range there would still be a quite a few around then in private hands , Hunting rabbits and game found lots on fields various calibers. Even down to being possible some of mine or brothers I had a old musket ball mold (found at quarry tip) that we made balls for catapults with for rabbits, fifties/early sixties era !.Brother still got mold I think. was making them upto a few years ago!
Over the years I have found many different types of Ammo. the links around this area were extensively used by military for manoeuvres . between wars and defences in wars . Just yesterday I dug up several .303 unfired Blanks, common find base plates from Grenades . and Mortar fins. buckets of 303 used cases. 38 and 45 rounds . Pistol /Revolver and thomson ammo all used by military . 20 mm cannon shells from aircraft, . even the working parts of a flintlock pistol

Are you finding many WW1 dated .303 cases Leslie? or the round nosed .303 bullets? I'm doing a board with a deactivated 1917 dated .303 SMLE for the Council's display and it would be nice to have a stripper clip of both types. Problem is when those brass cases have been in the ground a bit they get a copper rash and go a bit brittle.

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...nd_bayonet.jpg

I have 3 complete of the pointed type and one case waiting for a head (bullet). So need 1 case and two heads of the pointed type.

To make a round nosed .303 clip up I have 4 heads so need 1 head and 5 cases. (Ball rounds with rifling and fired primers so there is no argument with anyone that they are inert!)

(if I don't find them I'll go with out; I suppose it's no big deal)

so far:
http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...ipper_clip.jpg

I did say that the pointed bullet was introduced in 1911, but the Army had millions of rounds to work through of the old round nosed type and they were used in WW1. So they are valid for a WW1 display.

[p.s. I know in the picture the bayonet frog is home guard type - the bayonet is dated 1917 but was reissued to to the dad's army. I doubt anyone will notice!]

most rounds i have found I passed on to a friend of my brother the blanks unable to make out base .never keep bases . of fired or any "live" rounds i find
will look in boxes see if still have odd round headed . lots of copper jacketed rounds on north side . I havent done the amble beaches for years . to do the dunes and grassed areas is disturbing flaura and fauna, not sure if links are no SSIs

It's ok Leslie, I might have some here I'll keep looking. Regarding the pointed heads, a couple of years back the seas must have been right because between Huxley and Druridge there were masses of the things in any hollow in the peat or clay that had been uncovered by the natural removal of sand. This is down a beach level. I didn't bother to pick any up. :(

£10 online for inert clip of 5 ww2 dated: http://www.jaybe-militaria.co.uk/303...eads-638-p.asp

Seen these being sold at various places over the years. Surprised they've reached a tenner a clip. Big market with increasing numbers of reenactors that like to wear WW2 gear I suppose!


The cartridge cases out of the ground are never up to much as for some reason - the copper leaches out of the brass and they go brittle. (the ones in the picture aren't out of the ground)

Several years ago I used to do low tide Aln River estuary opposite Church hill.
There I used to get complete clips of 303 Ammo most times I went out

Plenty of WW2 training activity in that area that's for sure.

Was there a camp (hutted camp) for soldiers in that area?

There's a 'target' on the south side of church hill off on the beach way back on the 1866 map, so it's been a shooting area for some time.

Also shown Alnmouth Battery from 1866 which is above the golf course.


http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...th_battery.jpg

I can't seem to find any info on that 1896 range at Chibburn. There was a rifle club sometime at Widdrington and one at East Chevington as well. It could be one of theirs? Or perhaps one of the Local Militia or Volunteer units like at Amble?

http://www.coquetandcoast.co.uk/imag...ifle_range.jpg

Just going through some more of the 1915 gazette issues for local war casualties and came across this.
One of yours John mentioned here I think? Capt. J.G. Young. (as above?)
These are Rocket Apparatus Long Service Medals being awarded I think?