Bombs!

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Bombs!

Postby ciderman_nz » Mon Apr 23, 2018 12:57 am

Being located at Birchfield Road did have it’s advantages. It was not too far to hike down on the mudflats and Mangroves and carry out bomb tests. Yeah, I know, it sounds dramatic doesn’t it? We had discovered how easy it was to make impressive noises with ordinary stuff that you find in the garage and at the time atom bomb tests were all the rage so we had to follow their lead with one let off up in a tree, one on flat ground and one down a hole. Denis Browne and I had perfected the quart paint tin inside a gallon paint tin with cement in the cavity leading up to a piece of 3/4” water pipe. The pipe was capped with a screw blank that we drilled a small hole in and after the charge was placed inside the can and filled right up to the top of the pipe, the cap was screwed back on and a piece of ‘Jetex’ fuse inserted. ‘Jetex was the fuse used to start the model airplane rockets popular at the time. About a foot of fuse gave us time to rush for cover unless, of course, it was up in a tree, when we needed two feet of fuse!
On a quiet morning in the school holidays, we set everything up for a ground test. The bomb was placed, suitable cover in the form of a muddy bank and the fuse was set and lit. We sprinted to the bank and waited . Ten seconds must be longer than you think when you’re running for cover as we peered at the bomb thinking that the fuse must have gone out. As Denis rose up to check, a huge cloud of white smoke leapt up and was followed by a huge explosion. We never anticipated the very visible white cloud about a 100 feet high and the resounding boom! This was going to be noticed and we sprinted for home , about 300 yards away, forgetting that running on mudflats is not easy and progress was slow. About 20 seconds into our sprint, something splatted into the mud ahead of us. A piece of 3/4” water pipe, no longer attached to the paint tins.
By the time the police siren arrived Denis was a speck in the distance on his bike and I was in the shower.
There was a spate of enthusiasm for making bombs around the school generally and one of our parallel experimentors got a little foolish and intended to show off to his friends in a local milk bar called “The Tumble Inn”. His intention was to put a teaspoon of mixture in the ashtray and light it. This he did but a spark from ashtry jumped into his pocket where he had the bulk stock in a jam jar. There a muffled explosion, he lost two fingers, and the front window of the milk bar flew into the street!
The milk bar was renamed by the locals “The Tumble Out”.
Civilisation is a veneer, easily soluble in alcohol.
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Re: Bombs!

Postby laurie53 » Mon Apr 23, 2018 9:08 am

I always thought of NZ as one of the few places in the world that did not have to worry about bombs! Apparently I was wrong.

If somebody here had made a post like yours, Special Branch wold have come
a-knocking!
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Re: Bombs!

Postby Andere Richtingen » Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:16 am

Good grief! These days, you'd all have been taken into care and child psychiatrists, behaviorists and psychological social workers would have been in heaven, conducting interviews with you, your parents and siblings and having endless case conferences before putting the ultimate blame on too many E numbers in your food and bundling you off for anti-extremism education!
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Re: Bombs!

Postby ciderman_nz » Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:27 am

Absolutely agree! I am glad it was the time that it was and not now. It did, however, show me how easy it was to make explosives. I won't mention the ingredients but they are easy to come by.
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Re: Bombs!

Postby Andere Richtingen » Mon Apr 23, 2018 10:48 am

My OH was, according to the tales he tells, quite fond of that sort of experimentation, too. Something about biscuit tins and sugar ... And I won't go on! Must be a boy thing. We girls weren't up for that kind of thing although we also had our moments of barminess!
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Re: Bombs!

Postby dita » Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:14 pm

Great story , that was pretty high tech in them days, what a laugh to look back on CD .
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Re: Bombs!

Postby Maywalk » Mon Apr 23, 2018 2:31 pm

Blimey Michael you liked to live dangerously.
Did your parents ever find out?
I bet that bloke who lost two fingers never tried it again.

I had enough of bombs during the London Blitz to last me when we got bombed out twice and my little friend got killed.
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Re: Bombs!

Postby ciderman_nz » Mon Apr 23, 2018 9:57 pm

I was lucky Maisie. We didn't lose anybody during the war. I'm forever grateful for that.
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Re: Bombs!

Postby Maywalk » Tue Apr 24, 2018 5:53 am

It haunted me for years Michael until I got to the age of around 73/74 when I broke my right hip and left arm. I felt ruddy useless because I could not cook, clean or knit nor do the usual everyday things, without help.
My son had already learnt me how to use a computer and it was he who suggested I write all my stories down from when I could first remember. Strangely enough it helped me bring to the fore many feelings that I would not face before or admit to.

I was more than surprised at the outcome of it. Not only did it help me but many more folk worldwide. Sounds daft but true.

By the way you did NOT answer my question................Did your parents ever find out???????????
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Re: Bombs!

Postby ciderman_nz » Tue Apr 24, 2018 6:52 am

LOL! Not for about 20 years Maisie.
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Re: Bombs!

Postby Maywalk » Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:27 am

You little sod.......... :lol: :lol: :lol:
I bet you would have had to have gone without many treats if they had known.
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Re: Bombs!

Postby ciderman_nz » Tue Apr 24, 2018 9:44 am

It was about when I was 17 Maisie and I was keen to join the navy. I even went for a medical for entrance to Duntroon Naval Training Station in Australia. Unfortunately I was found to have slight colour blindness which meant that I could only serve in the 'secretarial' branch which didn't appeal to me.
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Re: Bombs!

Postby Maywalk » Tue Apr 24, 2018 10:37 am

You were TOO old to kick up the duff but I bet they were none TOO pleased. :huffin:
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