MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Marilyn]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Good one, Panbiker.

Next for shaving!

[Marilyn]

....are you still talking to me Cazza?

[Tizer]

Here we go...what are these ladies doing?

[Cathy]

Sweet young things and their pastimes indeed,

might need an early night to get over this one.

[PanBiker]

They look to be loosening and emptying something out of the metal spheres. Working outside so are the contents noxious or corrosive in some manner? Don't think its bomb related but lost apart from my observations.

[Marilyn]

Gosh...how interesting!
There is obviously something in these things worth retrieving. They aren't going through the top, but drilling holes in the bottom. Yet these ladies with their hats and neat dress are not dressed for mucky or dangerous work...they look like they have been recruited from a group of community minded souls rather than ( say) paid workers. The wheel behind them is suggestive of a pit. The last two women on the right side of pic have no idea what they are doing and are working their way through instruction from the more experienced women on the left.
Dress is not saying "war years" to me.certainly the decoration on the hats suggests a social event. ( don't think you'd wear your nice "jolly" hat for anything dirty or dangerous).

It is very hard trying to get to all corners of this pic on an iPad mini. Will have to save my guess until I can see it on a computer screen tomorrow.

[Marilyn]

There is water behind them and (?) nets in front.
These women are harvesting something grown in pottery jars in the water?

[Stanley]

Filling and fusing early explosive shells for muzzle loading cannon?

[Marilyn]

Members of the Country Women's Association decorating Christmas Baubles for hanging in the Main Street of Barnoldswick were shocked to see what raw materials they had to work with, but being resourceful ladies they soon set upon a plan and the result was a huge success. Unfortunately two people were squashed flat by falling baubles and killed, but nothing could dampen the women's enthusiasm for their work....

[Tizer]

Very creative Maz! I'd better own up and say that Stanley has got as close as anyone could manage. The caption to the photo states: "Taken at the Basset Foundry site, probably during World War One. The women appear to be cleaning trench mortar bomb warheads." The photo is in a book by Bob Acton who has written many books on Cornish mining and industry. The Bassets were a rich Cornish family who owned large mines and associated industries in the Camborne and Redruth areas. I'm not surprised you were thrown by the way the women are dressed but we have to remember they would have been given warning of the photographer's visit and naturally wanted to create a good impression! And the photo might have been used more widely to help the war effort. "Even in deepest Cornwall Britain's lovely ladies are doing their bit to help our brave lads in their fight to push back the dreaded Hun" ...and all that. But it does look a little like the WI making Christmas puddings!

[Pluggy]

Other than me and the stick, what is it ?

[Gloria]

Singing ringing tree above Burnley.

[Pluggy]

Well, that killed that in short order. Absolutely right.

[Gloria]

yes!!!!!!!!

[Stanley]

Tiz, on reflection you are right. If they were filling and fusing they would have been working alone in separate buildings so that one going off prematurely wouldn't have triggered all the others.... That was general practice and still done that way at the Penrhyndeudraeth works of Cooke's Explosives when I used to deliver there in the 1960s.
I wouldn't have known Pluggy's.... Looked to me like a high tech bonfire!
Try this one.....

[Marilyn]

It is a plaque

[Cathy]

Is it a sign that you 'did' pinch Stanley?
It comes off a large machine, probably to do with a milling / textile machine of some sort.

[Stanley]

Getting very close Cathy, exactly where do you think?

[Marilyn]

Why...in Nelson of course. That's warrit says on t' plaque.

[plaques]

Wasn't Phoenix foundry on Sagar St, opposite The Nelson brewery (William Ashley) . The site is now occupied by the Phoenix Buildings, No idea what type of of machine it came off.

[Tizer]

Stanley, This web page has lots of photos and information about Cooke's Explosives, you'll enjoy it! LINK

Pluggy & Gloria, does the `singing ringing tree' really sing and ring in the wind. I can see it would `sing' as the wind blew through the tubes but how would it `ring'?

Cathy & Maz, knowing Stanley like we do, I'll bet the plaque itself was on a machine distant from Nelson, perhaps far distant. Did he get it from America perhaps? Or Oz?

[Pluggy]

This is what the whole 'Singing Ringing Tree' looks like. It probably rings if hit with a hard object.....

It was a blustery day when we were up there, and being surrounded by wind turbines, I'd hazard a guess its something of a 'wind trap'. Hills are probably something of an alien concept for those living in areas prone to flooding. We've lots of 'em round here.

I'd suspect a film of the same name had a lot to do with the name :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Singing_Ringing_Tree

The film was made in the 50's, the sculpture in the 00's . You could hear it 'singing' from the car park which is around half a mile from the structure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_Ri ... pticons%29

Stanley's plaque looks like its still 'In Situ' so wild guess, Its attached to the main engine at Ellenroad. Either that or Bancroft mill.

[Marilyn]

Wow. Thanks for the pic, Pluggy.
That Singing Ringing thing is amazing. ( I would climb a hill to see it)

[Stanley]

Pluggy has it. Bancroft Engine.



Next for shaving?

Tiz, interesting. The site was in full production in the 1960s when I used to have a regular run from The Arran Barytes Company, Dalintober Street to the site. Ten tons of bagged, ground barytes which was used as a filler to make the sticks of Unigel. They used to search me at the gate, make sure I had rubber soled boots on and the battery was taken off the wagon. I was towed to the place where the barytes was used and was only allowed to take the sheet off and fold it. The workers did everything else. There was always a guard with me and I remember seeing through the door men with wooden paddles stirring what I think was Nitro glycerine in round copper vats. All the tools on the site were made of copper and that winch was used for the aerial rope-way that transferred the finished explosive to the old quarry which was on the top of the hill. There was only one naked light on the site, a gas jet in a class brick walled enclosure in the canteen so you could have a smoke....
One thing that intrigued me was that the vans they used to deliver the explosives were painted plain maroon all over and the only identifying mark was a small brass plate on the bottom near side corner of the box body that said 'Cooke's Explosives' and was heavily painted over. Those vans weren't allowed to transport detonators with the finished explosives. When ICI vans took over they were labelled 'Explosives' and they tell me that detonators were transported with the gelignite. The load paid well and I always enjoyed it.

[Tizer]

Fascinating, Stanley. They'd never get me to stir nitroglycerin!

Pluggy, thanks for the details of the singing ringing thingy.