WW2 Beach Ordnance

[Coquet]

Morpeth Herald 21st Aug 1942

AMBLE COASTGUARD'S DEATH

Inquest. Story of Beach Explosion

WARNING BY CORONER

At an Alnwick inquest on Saturday on Joseph Wood, 40-year-old auxiliary coastguard, Cliff House, Amble, who was fatally injured by the explosion of a container which he picked up on the beach, the Coroner, Mr. Hugh J. Percy, voiced the hope that the authorities would use " this very sad tragedy " to impress upon the minds of beach patrols and watchers the necessity of adopting proper precautions on the discovery of potentially dangerous objects on the beach. It was stated that Wood lay on the sands for five hours after the explosion and was located by a relief watcher following his footprints in the sand.
Those present at the inquest, included Supt. T. R. Spratt , representing the police; Mr. M. J. Abbs, Acting Inspector of Coastguards, North East Division, and Sergt.-Major Halder representing the Army.
Evidence of identification was given by Robert Jefferson, 30, Ladbroke Street, Amble, who said that Wood was his cousin. He was an auxiliary coastguard engaged on coast patrol duties. He had been discharged from the Navy owing to stomach trouble in January. 1942, but otherwise he had no physical disabilities and he was a teetotaller.
Witness said he saw Wood in the infirmary before he died. Describing the conversation at the bedside; " He told me it was a mortar bomb. He said it had lain there for weeks. He was fully conscious and gave me an account of what had happened. He said: ' You will remember me saying something a few weeks ago about an exploded mortar bomb being on the shore. I have handled it several times. The bottom was out and part of side was away. I thought I would take it to the hut and let the men see what it looked like. "
Witness said that Wood told him there was sand in it and when he shook it it went off.
He knew there were fishermen somewhere in the vicinity and he started to creep across the sands. He thought he had crawled 15 yards and after lying there a long time he remembered someone speaking to him. He began to get cold and thought he was finished. Jefferson said that Wood was quite comfortable when he saw him in the infirmary and was smoking a cigarette.

Lay Five Hours.
A local doctor said he saw Wood abort 2.30 on August 13 at a first-aid post. Witness gave him morphia and had him removed to the Infirmary. His right hand was blown off and there were numerous puncture wounds on the right side of his body, but only of slight depth. There had been extensive bleeding.
Witness was unable to find any wound suggesting the entrance of shrapnel and there were no marks or injuries on any other part of the body. Wood was suffering from severe shock and loss of blood and died at 7.30 p.m., the cause of death being shock and hemorrhage.

Mr. Abbs: Do you think he would have been saved if first aid had been rendered at the time?—Witness: He would have had a much better chance. He apparently lay on the sands unattended for five hours and that would impair his chance of recovery.
Ernest Gerard coast watcher, of 55, Wellwood Street. Amble, told the Coroner that he reported for duty at 11.45 a.m. on August 13. He saw that Wood was not present and when he went to the beach he saw footprints leading in one direction but none retuning. He reported this to the station officer and was instructed to follow the foot prints, to see what had happened.
" About 1.40 I came across Wood lying in the sands " said witness. " I spoke to him and he recognised my voice. I asked him what had happened and he said: ' Nine-thirty, a hand grenade. ' He asked for a drink of water. I went down to the beach and shouted to some fishermen and got him removed to a first-aid post. "
Mr. Percy: If you find anything on the beach of a suspicious nature what are your instructions?—Gerard : We have been always told not to touch anything. but to report it.
After considerable questioning of the witness regarding the procedure adopted and instructions issued the Coroner commented: " You seem to have a most hazy idea of what your duties are in this respect. "
After Mr. Abbs had given an explanation of the position Mr. Percy remarked: I am very much relieved to hear this. I had been alarmed about the state of affairs.

No Report.
Abbs gave evidence to the effect that he had visited the post in question a few weeks ago. Deceased made no report of having found anything. If he thought it was an empty shell he would not report it, but the men had been told time after time not to pick anything up or kick it.
Mr. Percy: " I am sure you will assist as far as you can by using this very dreadful example to force this upon the watchers and make use of this poor man's death to save other lives in future. Obviously one cannot be too careful in those cases.
Returning his verdict the Coroner said that this was a case which had given him a good deal of anxiety and left a sense of uneasiness in his mind as to the carrying out by everyone concerned of the various duties and precautions which in theory seemed to he sufficient. The result of what had happened in this ease emphatically emphasised the necessity for the utmost exactitude in the carrying out of regulations.
It was clear, he said, that deceased genuinely believed the object he found was an exploded one. He, the Coroner, was satisfied that, individual watchers had thoroughly apprehended what their duties were, otherwise he did not understand how a careful man like deceased would fail to report the finding of this container and grievously fail in his duty, by handling it after he did find it. He hoped the authorities in charge of the coast watchers would use this very sad tragedy for the express purpose of driving into the minds of the watchers the imitable danger of failing to report every thing they saw which might be potentially dangerous and of the necessity of retraining from touching any such thing, unless these precautions were taken valuable lives would continue to be lost.
Mr. Percy’s verdict was that Wood died from shock and haemorrhage as a result of his right hand having been blown off by an unexploded container of unascertained identity and origin which he had picked up on the beach.

[Coquet]

What would a mortar round be doing on an Amble beach? I've never found any fragments of such things. Any of you metal detecting types found mortar fragments?

(South Alnmouth Beach is a different kettle of fish- mortar and grenade parts all over the shop - but not Amble?)