Finds and UXBs!

Bomb Transit Plugs,

With thanks to Paul Bellamy for giving me these at Deenthorpe when we visited, plucked from the ploughsoil by his eagle eyes! and cleaned up for me by Jim C.

Jim also cleaned and primed this flarepath light cover that we found at Gosfield a few years ago. The wife is not yet aware that it is going in the garden in its concrete base that was found at Matching....shhhhhh But do I paint it black or Aviation yellow?

The cup shaped object looks like a suspension lug cover.

The object on the far right, from the location of the screwthread could be a Transit Plug for bomb without an Exploder fitted or a Tail Plug for an armour piercing bomb. Is it solid?

The other three are Transit Plugs for different weight bombs (500/1000 pound?). Transit Plugs used to protect the threads of the nose and tail fuze pockets and keep the cavity clean.

All seem to be USAAF bomb types.

Nice job on the light Denis / Jim C, I have one from Fersfield I am yet to do anything with!

PETERTHEEATER;74008 wrote:

The object on the far right, from the location of the screwthread could be a Transit Plug for bomb without an Exploder fitted or a Tail Plug for an armour piercing bomb. Is it solid?

Thanks for confirming the idents Peter. The object far right is hollow.

REF;74016 wrote:

Nice job on the light Denis / Jim C, I have one from Fersfield I am yet to do anything with!

All you need is a nice original concrete socket for it Richard. The one I found at Matching several years ago is in brilliant condition. If you find one still encased in runway concrete rubble on a heap somewhere, they do tend to come out with a 7lb club hammer and a good flat concrete chisel.

Denis;74019 wrote:

All you need is a nice original concrete socket for it Richard. The one I found at Matching several years ago is in brilliant condition. If you find one still encased in runway concrete rubble on a heap somewhere, they do tend to come out with a 7lb club hammer and a good flat concrete chisel.

Spoken by someone with experience by the sounds of things!!! I'll bear it in mind!!!

They've come up well Denis, especially after the number of times you had to put them down and pick them up again...

PETERTHEEATER;74008 wrote:

The cup shaped object looks like a suspension lug cover.

The object on the far right, from the location of the screwthread could be a Transit Plug for bomb without an Exploder fitted or a Tail Plug for an armour piercing bomb. Is it solid?

The other three are Transit Plugs for different weight bombs (500/1000 pound?). Transit Plugs used to protect the threads of the nose and tail fuze pockets and keep the cavity clean.

All seem to be USAAF bomb types.

Yup, all US Transit Plugs.
The cup shaped item is a simple pressed-steel plug rather than the usual cast types.

The right-hand one is hollow bodied, with a nut cast into the centre of the top for unscrewing.
I've had a fair number of these from Deenethorpe, along with a couple of pointed ones which I'm guessing are nose plugs for when the bomb was tail fuzed only (?).

All the best,
PB

Is the tubular one also threaded internally at the hex headed end?

Yes, conical (pointed) nose plugs would be left in place for tail fuzing only. Generally used with a very slight delay to allow the bomb to penetrate soft structures before detonating.

PETERTHEEATER;74256 wrote:

Is the tubular one also threaded internally at the hex headed end?

Checking one I have to hand, no. Just a smooth inner face to the casting.

All the best,
PB

I'm hoping this is a British version of a Bomb transit plug I found at a nearby airfield recently. It looks very much like the rings seen on the noses of early British bombs in photographs from the period.