An Austrian shell explodes in Ely
In January 1919, in Prickwillow Road in Ely, Frederick Craven was killed by the explosion of a portion of nose cap of an Austrian shell brought home as a souvenir by his brother Sgt Claud Craven of the RAF.
Frederick was 28, and an experienced electrical engineer, but had been declared unfit for military service because of epilepsy. Like other family members and friends, he was interested in the shell detonator which his brother had been given in Italy - the detonator had a burnt appearance and both he and all others who had examined it had thought it had already exploded. The nose cap was shown around to a number of people and then, unbeknown to others, Frederick took it into father’s workshop and appears to have been trying to dismantle it with a hammer. The nose cap exploded and resulted in shocking injuries for Frederick –the lower part of his body was perforated with metal splinters, he had severe facial injuries and was sightless, while his left hand was later picked up in the garden having been blasted through the window. Claud rushed to his brother's assistance and, although Frederick lived a few moments longer, his death was almost instantaneous.
The inquest accepted that Frederick's death was an unfortunate accident.
Frederick's interest in the shell would have been a professional one. Before the War he had studied at Swindon Technical Institute and then had been on the engineering staff of Municipal Electricity Central Stations, serving at Lowestoft, Luton, Watford and finally Portsmouth. He had been forced to resign from the company because of his poor health, but had nevertheless attempted to enlist in the Forces at the outbreak of the War. His epilepsy meant he could not fight, so instead he joined the Amateur Ordnance Volunteers and spent the War making parts for high explosive shells. It is very possible that poor Claud brought this particular dangerous souvenir home because he knew his brother would be especially interested in comparing it to the shells he had been working on.
Frederick and Claud were sons of Robert Lound Craven, a brewer at Messers Cutlack & Harlock.
And another souvenir.......
Many servicemen obviously brought home with them little reminders of the conflict to show their family - somethimes with unlooked for results. Just before Christmas 1920 another story appeared in the local newspaper:
Eleven year old Alice Skillett of Bull Lane had been given a bullet by one of her friends whose father had brought it home. She had crafted it into a pen holder and taken it to school (Silver Street National School). Frustrated that it wasn't working properly she threw it into the fire where it promptly exploded! Fortunately for Alice herself and the other children it was the two teachers, Miss Haslop and Miss Ivy Rice, who were standing in front of the fire and who took the force of the exploding fragments. Miss Haslop was cut in the thigh, the right ear and on a finger, while Miss Rice was cut on the bottom lip and along the cheek.
When the police visited the Skillett household they were told that the bullet had already fallen into the family's fire a week earlier but had been instantly plunged into a bucket of cold water and nothing had happened as a result. The bullet had clearly been hollowed out, but it must be assumed that the cap had not actually been fired and so it remained live.
Frederick was 28, and an experienced electrical engineer, but had been declared unfit for military service because of epilepsy. Like other family members and friends, he was interested in the shell detonator which his brother had been given in Italy - the detonator had a burnt appearance and both he and all others who had examined it had thought it had already exploded. The nose cap was shown around to a number of people and then, unbeknown to others, Frederick took it into father’s workshop and appears to have been trying to dismantle it with a hammer. The nose cap exploded and resulted in shocking injuries for Frederick –the lower part of his body was perforated with metal splinters, he had severe facial injuries and was sightless, while his left hand was later picked up in the garden having been blasted through the window. Claud rushed to his brother's assistance and, although Frederick lived a few moments longer, his death was almost instantaneous.
The inquest accepted that Frederick's death was an unfortunate accident.
Frederick's interest in the shell would have been a professional one. Before the War he had studied at Swindon Technical Institute and then had been on the engineering staff of Municipal Electricity Central Stations, serving at Lowestoft, Luton, Watford and finally Portsmouth. He had been forced to resign from the company because of his poor health, but had nevertheless attempted to enlist in the Forces at the outbreak of the War. His epilepsy meant he could not fight, so instead he joined the Amateur Ordnance Volunteers and spent the War making parts for high explosive shells. It is very possible that poor Claud brought this particular dangerous souvenir home because he knew his brother would be especially interested in comparing it to the shells he had been working on.
Frederick and Claud were sons of Robert Lound Craven, a brewer at Messers Cutlack & Harlock.
And another souvenir.......
Many servicemen obviously brought home with them little reminders of the conflict to show their family - somethimes with unlooked for results. Just before Christmas 1920 another story appeared in the local newspaper:
Eleven year old Alice Skillett of Bull Lane had been given a bullet by one of her friends whose father had brought it home. She had crafted it into a pen holder and taken it to school (Silver Street National School). Frustrated that it wasn't working properly she threw it into the fire where it promptly exploded! Fortunately for Alice herself and the other children it was the two teachers, Miss Haslop and Miss Ivy Rice, who were standing in front of the fire and who took the force of the exploding fragments. Miss Haslop was cut in the thigh, the right ear and on a finger, while Miss Rice was cut on the bottom lip and along the cheek.
When the police visited the Skillett household they were told that the bullet had already fallen into the family's fire a week earlier but had been instantly plunged into a bucket of cold water and nothing had happened as a result. The bullet had clearly been hollowed out, but it must be assumed that the cap had not actually been fired and so it remained live.
