Fragment of Prototype Barnes Wallis Bouncing Bomb
 

In 1984 members of the Royal Observer Corps retrieved one of the prototype bouncing bombs from the bombing range at Ashley Walk, Godshill used by 617 SQN in the very famous dambusters raids. This was cut into 617 fragments and mounted in wooden blocks by apprentices from RAF Halton and sold at the time to raise funds for the ROC. I am fortunate enough to own a piece already (which was purchased by father at the time when he was a C/Obs). Currently there is a piece for sale on eBay and in all my years collecting to the ROC this is only the second piece I have seen for sale - the other being on a dealers website.

Whilst it is not insignia, it is an interesting piece of military history which stretches across many different areas of collecting so I thought it was worth highlighting.

Listed here on eBay and already at a healthy £237 - and with the last 8 bids from the same bidder even though (s)he is already the highest bidder - so someone really wants it I guess!

Very interesting thanks for posting this, Barnes Wallis is buried close to me here in Surrey with quite an understated headstone considering his achievements.

Will watch with interest to see what price this reaches.

Simon.

It's at £430 now with three hours to go.

S

Another fragment is currently up for sale: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334305037...torefresh=true

The members of No.14 Group Royal Observer Corps actually recovered seven end plates, all in 1975, with Observer Officer Sid Deedman being behind the project. Two were mated with a new skin to create a complete mine, which was presented to 617 Squadron, with two more mated with a new skin to make a second complete mine, which was kept for many years by Sid Deedman, before going to the Boscombe Down collection. A fifth end plate went to the Warnham War Museum (run by Joe Lyndhurst, father of Nicholas 'Rodney' Lyndhurst) and when that folded was sold to the Grantham Museum and the sixth, a half end plate ended up at the ROC Museum in Winchester. The seventh went to RAF Halton where Apprentices cut it into 617 pieces to raise funds for the RAF Museum's new Battle of Britain Hall in 1976/77. All were numbered and sold with matching certificates, with No. 1 going to the RAF Museum and No. 617 going to the Squadron. £3500 was raised.

Many of the pieces offered for sale now are fakes, just rough bits of metal put in a wood block.

Another piece (piece #325) has come up on eBay - Link here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155590625483 with a starting price of £299