- Contributed by听
- eddyhadley
- People in story:听
- Edward John Hadley and Forgotten friends
- Location of story:听
- Birmingham
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A2731844
- Contributed on:听
- 10 June 2004
Some of the army personnel based in Summerfield Park were apparently not very careful with their ammunition. On more than one occassion, during 1942 and 1943, some of my friends would proudly display one or two live .303 rifle cartridges, which they had found in the park. It was absolutely forbidden to let any adult know of this. The rounds would be kept until the mother of any one of us went shopping and left an empty house.
A few small boys and one rifle cartridge would then go into the kitchen. The round would be placed on the gas-cooker and the gas-ring lit. After a very few seconds we would be deafened by the explosion. The bullet would hit one wall and the cartridge case would hit the opposite one.
Without really knowing why, the cartridge was always placed parallel to us.
The other game was to grip the whole cartridge in a vice, in father's tool-shed, if such was available and strike the percussion cap with a hammer and nail.
These escapades didn't last long as angry parents quickly cured us.
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