Dum-Dum bullets

[stockton]

  My grandad Robert Casey.6371 K.OS.B 1912-18.
My grandad was sent to join 2nd battalion in France 4 weeks after BEF landed,
until recently it was a mystery to me why he ended up back in the UK and
appeared on K.OS.B medical rolls early 1915, some suggested illness but i
couldn't seem to but that, grandad was then sent to join 1 battalion in Gallipoli,
thiere untill campaign called off, then back to France for the Somme offensive,
he fell badly wounded 1st day of battle 1st July 1916.

Recently i was sent the information i was longing to learn about grandad,
when sent to join 2nd battalion in France he was hit by German dum-dum
bullet, he appears in the Scotsman casualty list 21 Nov 1914,
he had been admitted to the Royal Infirmary 17th Oct 1914,
he give an interview saying several other lads had been hit the same way,
they were having a hard time in the trenches, he's not had the cloths off his back
in 2 months, some kind of soldiers our grandfather's.
Wonder if any medical records from Royal infirmary, Sunderland would exist on grandads
treatment
Has eny one else come across soldiers being hit with these bullets and then returned
to front line.
All the best.
Derek

[km1971]

Hi Derek

Germany forced the UK to abandon fragmenting bullets in 1899. So it is unlikely they used them during WW1. I suggest you put the question on the Great War Forum. Someone there may have head of their unofficial use.

They get so many questions on that site some experts only read the questions with the right wording in the title. So I suggest you put a second question about the hospital records you seek.

Ken

[stockton]

Hi Ken, i was sent the section from the Scotsman 21st November 1914,

         {100 yrs old next month }
my grandad Robert states several other lads hit with same type bullet,
dosn't matter who banned what before great war, they would have been used i'll bet,
i saw a program last year i think it was about how british infantry dealt with German
snipers opperating behind metal plates, the british lads it was said used to take a bullet
from its casing and turn it around { reverse bullet } and fire it at german's behind metal
plate, this was tested to see if this would realy work and it was found to be true, it did,
in the test firing a neat hole was driven through metal plate and would have killed any one
behind it.
Iv'e been told records would { if kept } be in Sunderland archives.
Thanks for reply Ken.
All the best.
Derek

[KGarrad]

This has been discussed before in expert forums - apparently it wouldn't work?!

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=66649

[stockton]

  The noted world war one expert & writer Andy Robertshaw tested the reverse bullet
with the 303 rifle with army experts and other's and the test was 100% positive,
i cant remember the range of the test firing but do remember a neat hole in the metal
plate, Andrew Robertshaw is a noted world war one historian and i'm ablsolutley certain
he would not carry test's as a joke.
Please look this up if its possible, these tests did prove theory correct.
All the best.
Derek

[ShaunJ]

The newspaper report quoting Private Casey appeared first in the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette of 20 October 1914.

[IMBER]

An interesting quote by a newly captured wounded Guards officer :

"As I lay on the stretcher a jarring thought came to me. I had in my pocket the flat nosed bullets which the war office had served out to us as revolver ammunition. They are not dum-dum bullets but they would naturally not make as pleasant a wound as the sharp nosed ones, and it occurred to me that those having them would be shot. I searched my pockets and flung mine away. I heard the Germnas speaking very angrily about the flat bullets they had picked up and saying how they would deal with anyone in whose possession they were found".

Imber

[stockton]

  It would be interesting to read any medical reports on wounds received by my grandad and other's who were hit at the same time.
All the best.

Derek

[km1971]

In the fog of war...the British newspapers had half of Belgium babies stuck on German bayonets. There may have been isolated doctering of bullets but I doubt it was sanctioned by the German High Command.

After the war the British took evidence from POWs about their treatment. If there was wholesale use of fragmenting bullets - when legal the vast majority were made in England rather than in Dum-Dum - I am sure a similar investigation would have been made.

Ken