A 3.7 inch shell case

One of the items in our house is a brass shell case from WWII.

For some of my childhood, in the 1950s, we lived in Farrant Street, Gooseberry Hill in the Darling Range (my parents’ car had number plates with a DR prefix) east of Perth. The shell case was converted into a gong which was used to summons me when I meandered off into the surrounding bushland.

Although both my parents served in the war, I think my mother probably acquired it. She had a close friend who was an ordinance officer. Some of the time she was involved with searchlights.

The shell is from a 3.7 inch gun. These heavy artillery guns were often used as anti-aircraft guns and at night a searchlight would be used in conjunction with the gun to seek out enemy aircraft. The markings on the shellcase should provide information on its manufacture. ‘MF’ could indicate that it was made in the Explosives Factory Maribyrnong in Victoria.