Radio Stuff Stored in Disused Mine

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lozz
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10 years ago

As per title, in the link below you should be able to see a photo copy of a letter at the National Archives, say's a disused mine at Redruth, anyone heard about this?

http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?p=721580#post721580

Lozz.

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Mr.C
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10 years ago

Not heard of surplus radio kit being stored in old mines. As the quoted thread says, plenty of stories of kit being dumped in old shafts.
I recall about 40 yrs back hearing of a shaft at Park Hall in Stoke on Trent allegedly filled with new HROs.
If you find the stuff in the letter, put me down for an R1155/T1154:)
73 de G8NYZ

We inhabit an island made of coal, surrounded by a sea full of fish. How can we go wrong.......

lozz
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Newbie Topic Starter

10 years ago

"Mr.C" wrote:
Not heard of surplus radio kit being stored in old mines. As the quoted thread says, plenty of stories of kit being dumped in old shafts.
I recall about 40 yrs back hearing of a shaft at Park Hall in Stoke on Trent allegedly filled with new HROs.
If you find the stuff in the letter, put me down for an R1155/T1154:)
73 de G8NYZ

I've got a couple of HRO's and an R1155, no T1154 though.

I have a strange feeling that a whole radio in standard crating would not survive the journey down a mine shaft intact, It's possible that loads of radio spares might have been dumped.

Lozz.

Mr.C
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10 years ago

"lozz" wrote:

I've got a couple of HRO's and an R1155, no T1154 though.

I have a strange feeling that a whole radio in standard crating would not survive the journey down a mine shaft intact, It's possible that loads of radio spares might have been dumped.

Lozz.

Was once offered a "new" T1154 for 15 quid but had to turn it down as I'd no way of getting it home from London - I was on the back of a mates motorbike.

We inhabit an island made of coal, surrounded by a sea full of fish. How can we go wrong.......

Roy Morton
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10 years ago

I've heard all sorts of tales of 'stuff' being dumped down shafts, especially in the United Downs / Consols area where the Americans had set up camp during WWII. Apparently Joe Louis the boxer was stationed there and gave shows to the local Carharrack and St Day boys....I digress.
I did once hear of a building at RAF Portreath that was allegedly stuffed with radio equipment and the workings at Wh Merth (secret army) probably had some sort of radio coms they could use. There was a bit of ordnance in Wh Uny before the locals started dumping their old fridges down there but nothing electronic.
de G7WJJ

"You Chinese think of everything!"
"But I''m not Chinese!"
"Then you must have forgotten something!"

rufenig
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10 years ago

:blink:
Would this be the same mine where the Gubernment has the "strategic reserve" of steam engines stored? :angel:

lozz
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10 years ago

It's interesting that the author of the letter used the words "stored" and "20,000 sets" put that into context in comparison to the average shaft cage dimensions or adit dimensions, plus underground in Cornwall isn't exactly the best storage place for electronic equipment.

If that amount of sets were dumped down a mine shaft then my guess is it would be well known about and it's location would be specific.

Lozz.

rufenig
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10 years ago

Lozz

One thing that I would disaggree with is that a location would be known and specific.

A tremendous ammount of stuff was disposed without any records being kept.
Remember this work was often left to contractors or military personell who had no interest in records or regulations. Things were dumped with the minimum ammount of work.
There are many examples of high security sites being cleared where no records survive. Many chemical weapons site are providing surprises for modern investigations.
Nancekuke where Nerve gas was manufactured seems to have few records of what they put down the shafts there!

lozz
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10 years ago

I think the locals would have known, anything that could be turned to cash would have been seized upon.

The other thing is why would 20,000 sets designed for aircraft be down here in the first place.

I think a load of general WW2 tat could have been dumped down a shaft or shafts down here but rumors and whispers tend to distort things over the years.

Lozz.

RJV
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10 years ago

#10

It seems to be a common rumour. Some of the old whinstone quarries our way are meant to be full of brand new Hurricanes still in their crates or some such thing...

staffordshirechina
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10 years ago

#11

Yes, apparently we have a whole fleet of series 2a Land Rovers, just left behind.
Presumably, fully serviced and fuelled up ready to go.........

RJV
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10 years ago

#12

"staffordshirechina" wrote:
Land Rovers...ready to go...

Says it all! ::)

Dark Prince
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10 years ago

#13

Variously in my neck of the woods i've heard of:

Fields full of crated Harley Davidsons
Steam cranes buried in collapsed rail tunnel
Buried train with just the funnel showing
Old mines packed full of radio gear
Old mines packed full of WW2 weapons
etc etc

Sadly never found any of it!

DP

jagman
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10 years ago

#14

"RJV" wrote:

"staffordshirechina" wrote:
Land Rovers...ready to go...

Says it all! ::)

However the Land Rovers sealed in plastic and stored in a reservoir are true!

I forget which reservoir but I have seen pictures, as part of a an experiment for protecting against EMP a dozen or so Land Rovers were sealed up and stored underwater to see if they could be kept for a period underwater then re-commissioned.

Some f them are still there.

Roy Morton
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10 years ago

#15

We too have had the Harleys in crates. There's a quarry near Boswin (Mabe-burnthouse) that was supposed to have had Harleys and Jeeps. We did find a set if girder forks there once but they turned out to be from an early Reliant; we didn't bother looking for the rest of it.

"You Chinese think of everything!"
"But I''m not Chinese!"
"Then you must have forgotten something!"

Blober
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10 years ago

#16

There has to be some shreds of truth to it all, probably made to sound more fancier and amazing as it was passed down over the years. I'm interested about the land rovers, any more info you can remember?

FILTH - Think this is a playground? Think again...

Dark Prince
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10 years ago

#17

When we going fishing then Jagman?!

DP

Ty Gwyn
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10 years ago

#18

"staffordshirechina" wrote:
Yes, apparently we have a whole fleet of series 2a Land Rovers, just left behind.
Presumably, fully serviced and fuelled up ready to go.........

Left behind by whom?

This started me thinking as i thought the British Army in WW2 had Austin Champs,but apparently they did not come into commission till 1952,
So did the British Army have jeeps in WW2 that were`nt Willys?

RRX
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10 years ago

#19

Yeah, fords :-D

Strategic steam reserve was Tunnel Quarry up at Box, long gone now

www.carbisbaycrew.co.uk Cornwall's Underground Site

Trewillan
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10 years ago

#20

"Ty Gwyn" wrote:

"staffordshirechina" wrote:
Yes, apparently we have a whole fleet of series 2a Land Rovers, just left behind.
Presumably, fully serviced and fuelled up ready to go.........

Left behind by whom?

This started me thinking as i thought the British Army in WW2 had Austin Champs,but apparently they did not come into commission till 1952,
So did the British Army have jeeps in WW2 that were`nt Willys?

You're right, Champs were 1950's.

I don't think we had anything like a jeep in WW2, just chunky versions of 1930's cars like Humbers and Austins.

Land Rovers were copied from the American Jeep and in line with British industrial practice, remained largely unchanged for far too long, eventually losing their market to the Japanese.