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Explosive find as Wick's North Baths is emptied


By David G Scott

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The remains of an artillery shell recovered when an outdoor pool in Wick was being drained was "commandeered for military use" at the weekend.

The shell casing is thought to have come from the Isleford, a converted steamer requisitioned by the Royal Navy during WWII to ferry munitions and other supplies.

Denny Swanson, left, and fellow volunteer Derek Bremner point out the shell casing recovered from the North Baths and displayed during Saturday's Doors Open Day at the North Head pillbox. Pictures: DGS
Denny Swanson, left, and fellow volunteer Derek Bremner point out the shell casing recovered from the North Baths and displayed during Saturday's Doors Open Day at the North Head pillbox. Pictures: DGS

On Saturday, Denny Swanson, a former military policeman, was leading a team of volunteers at the site of a former WWII pillbox just above the North Baths outdoor pool for a special "doors open day" event for the revamped wartime facility. "It's a 55-pounder shell that's come from the Isleford," said Denny as he pointed out its remains amongst various other examples of wartime munitions.

The ship came to grief in a gale below Proudfoot in January 1942. After the storm subsided the shoreline was littered with mines and shells and the though the Navy sent up a recovery team to reclaim the munitions some is still being washed up to this day.

Doors Open Day at North Head pillbox with a poppy cross planted on top.
Doors Open Day at North Head pillbox with a poppy cross planted on top.

Denny reckoned that the recently recovered shell casing has been damaged through years of rolling around in the sea around the North Baths. The casing was put on display for the public along with other pieces of ammo recovered from the Isleford and a "25-pounder" shell that had been smuggled to Wick as a keepsake by a local soldier who had been stationed in Italy and Egypt during WWII.

"He kept it inside his uniform. It's been made safe now but it could have been live when he took it back. It would have been filled with cordite," said Denny.

The North Head pillbox can be seen on the cliff face at left and just above the North Baths where the naval shell was recovered.
The North Head pillbox can be seen on the cliff face at left and just above the North Baths where the naval shell was recovered.

Being one day before the D-Day commemorations of June 6, Saturday's event was a good opportunity to pay homage to those who had served during the war and tell the public a few anecdotes related to the conflict. Volunteers Derek Bremner and Tommy Munro helped usher the public down the steps and into the concrete pillbox – a defensive structure that was one of thousands that lined the British coastline during WWII.

The pillbox was filled with rubbish until a team of volunteers led by Denny got to work on it and decided to make it into a museum that would serve to both commemorate and educate. "I decided when I came out the army that I wanted to do something like this, " said Denny.

Denny Swanson regaled members of the public with stories about WWII and life for the troops stationed in the pillbox.
Denny Swanson regaled members of the public with stories about WWII and life for the troops stationed in the pillbox.

"When I retired I did work to restore the Iron Wellie and then took on this project which we've turned into a Second World War museum. It's really well done and there were a lot of helpers working on it and people who donated to it."

Throughout the day the volunteers had a steady stream of local people visiting the site to see the artifacts within the pillbox and listen to Denny's stories about life for a soldier stationed there.

"There's another shell out in the bay found by divers that we hope to recover and put on display here. It's come from the Isleford as well. There was also a naval gun that was dredged up by a local fishing boat and was lying on the pier at Scrabster a few years back. I don't know where that is now but we'd love to get it for display at our museum here."

If anyone has information on the whereabouts of the naval gun and would like to donate it to the pillbox museum please email the paper at david.scott@hnmedia.co.uk

Related article:

Swimmers in Wick have been making a splash at the North Baths


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