WW1 - gone but not forgotten

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  • 5thDragoons
    Super Moderator
    • Apr 2023
    • 651

    #1

    WW1 - gone but not forgotten

    Last time I was over, friends and I road tripped to Dunkirk. On the way back to overnight in Luxemburg, we stopped at a farm near Poelcapel, Belgium where a fellow was restoring a WW1 Brit tank. Very interesting guy! So much so that I donated to his resto fund. The farm had been in his family since the 1700s - even during both world wars. No surprise - there was a lot of WW1 stuff to be found in the fields. I asked about bones... "Oh, yes! My dog, Charlie likes to search for them at plowing time. He brings them up to the house as chew toys." These are saved and when several have accumulated, a military team takes them away to be interred.

    While we were there, the mom was plowing while he worked on the tank, so Charlie was locked in his enclosure. He was not happy with that!

    Possibly because of the donation, I received a message from him of something he recently found while plowing... thank God for rotten fuses!! He has quite a number of other dud artillery rounds, but this is the first he's picked up while doing field work.
    bomb.jpg

    Just for fun, here's a shot of the tank and an American truck also being restored. The tank has since appeared at a WW1 event in England. It was running while we were there but not drivable. He said it takes 2 operators to actually drive it.
    IMG_0211 (1).jpg

    IMG_0220 (1).jpg
  • Oyaji
    Very Senior Member - OFC
    • Oct 2009
    • 4371

    #2
    Thanks for the interesting post 5thDragoons. I'd like to know more about that truck. Anybody have details, year, manufacturer, etc.?

    Comment

    • 5thDragoons
      Super Moderator
      • Apr 2023
      • 651

      #3
      Apparently, it was part of a series made during the war. This one was unique due to the redundant ignition system. Dual magnetos - spark plugs & so forth.
      Liberty truck - Wikipedia

      Here's a couple more shots of the truck.
      IMG_0214 (1).jpg

      IMG_0213 (1).jpg

      IMG_0221 (1).jpg IMG_0221 (1).jpg
      Last edited by 5thDragoons; 09-12-2025, 03:08. Reason: Add pics

      Comment

      • Oyaji
        Very Senior Member - OFC
        • Oct 2009
        • 4371

        #4
        A most interesting piece of history.

        Here's a "hot" link to the Liberty Truck page on Wikipedia.......

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_truck

        Thanks 5thDragoons

        Comment

        • lyman
          Administrator - OFC
          • Aug 2009
          • 11266

          #5
          https://www.amazon.com/Aftermath-Rem.../dp/0679431950

          good read on what the farmers and others have been going thru since WW1

          Comment

          • 5thDragoons
            Super Moderator
            • Apr 2023
            • 651

            #6
            Got another email from the farmer at Poelcapel, Belgium. This is what he turned up before dinner while plowing a field. I can't imagine how much UXO is laying around and under Verdun, France. Germany fired hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, so even a 1% fuse failure leaves actual tons of explosives. SW

            Pondfarm.jpg

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