[Spinalman]

Saw this curious photo. So what happened to these two figure heads?

Reminds me also, with The Battle of the River Plate on TV today, whatever happened to the ships bell of the Graf Spee? Last I saw of it was in 1972 when it hung on the bridge inside the 3rd Shoreham Scout Hut next to the rail bridge across the Adur. Quite a trophy. Does anyone recall the demolition of the hut, and when?

http://www.deutschla...fspeewreck.html

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[johnjohn]

Spinalman, on 29 November 2011 - 18:35 PM, said:

Saw this curious photo. So what happened to these two figure heads?

Reminds me also, with The Battle of the River Plate on TV today, whatever happened to the ships bell of the Graf Spee? Last I saw of it was in 1972 when it hung on the bridge inside the 3rd Shoreham Scout Hut next to the rail bridge across the Adur. Quite a trophy. Does anyone recall the demolition of the hut, and when?

http://www.deutschla...fspeewreck.html

I don't remember seeing the bell or figureheads.... the Graf Spee's bell,a valuable prize, surely did not end up in the Shoreham Scout hut...it must have been a copy!
On the subject of war wrecks the attatched is a photo of a USS Arizona gun turet with oil still rising from the wreck 60 years later.
Do you have any idea of the name of the old warship in the photo?

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[Spinalman]

The old ship is HMS Pearl that I found online. It was scrapped in 1906 so consistent with the bungalow photo.

There are lot of smaller Graf Spee bells around the world, normally with a 1939 inscribed on them - the date of the battle so most likely commemorative.
The one in the Scour Hut was bigger - maybe 12 inches diameter, and was enscribed. Having said that , I don't recall if it was in German. Thinking back, someone would have ransacked the wreck. The US navy clearly were all over it soon after, and I am sure the RN took the opportunity to board the wreck. Maybe some of the the trophies made their way back with RN personnel and then to the Scout hut. The 3rd Shoreham hut was packed with an eclectic range of world artefacts. Clearly some one from the leadership had been well travelled.

[Nelson]

Spinalman, on 29 November 2011 - 17:35 PM, said:

Saw this curious photo. So what happened to these two figure heads?

Reminds me also, with The Battle of the River Plate on TV today, whatever happened to the ships bell of the Graf Spee? Last I saw of it was in 1972 when it hung on the bridge inside the 3rd Shoreham Scout Hut next to the rail bridge across the Adur. Quite a trophy. Does anyone recall the demolition of the hut, and when?

http://www.deutschla...fspeewreck.html

As a bit if an aside, have just seen a larger copy of that figurehead photo and the buildings behind are New Salts Farm with Lancing College Chapel in the distance. Lining that up shows the figureheads to have been at a bungalow on the east end of Widewater but no bungalow names were shown at that time (early 1900's)

[richard]

Lot of them out there........

http://ahoy.tk-jk.ne...morialbell.html

and.........

http://www.bbc.co.uk...iTACHDB0QNbPftw

and ........

http://cas.awm.gov.a...otograph/088245

Looks like they might have got the painting of the titles on the plinths transposed!

[Nelson]

We were reminded of this thread when sorting through some old postcards. On closer inspection of one of them, the HMS Scylla figurehead, could just be made out but this time she is enjoying the view out to sea in the front garden rather than round the back. It also helped pinpoint more accurately the site of this particular bungalow as the back view shows the east end of Widewater and the college chapel in the background which coincides with the distance in the front view to the known position of the castle-like bungalow that can just be made out (above the red arrow)

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