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"I love soldiers and dressing up as
one" (edited screengrab from film
in public domain under conditions
of fair use) |
Showing complete disregard for the discussion that was going on in collecting circles (too) about "Nazi War Diggers", immensely popular metal detectorist icon Deep Digger Dan in his latest video (
Apr 14, 2014) is wearing a Nazi helmet, saying how much he "
loves soldiers", but trying ineffectually to hide the left side where we see a large blast hole in it. In general, holes like that indicate that somebody died in that helmet which was then dug up among scattered human remains on a WW2 battlefield. Did DDD dig that up himself, or did he buy it from somebody who did?
[
Update 20th September 2015: Mr Holdsworth writes (in a comment below) that he was "sent the helmet as a gift from an English friend not that it is any of your business". I disagree, if that helmet has - even potentially - come from among the shattered remains of a person fallen in battle and still lying there and removed by artefact hunters and collectors, this very much is something which we all should be concerned about, how we allow places of memory like this and the human remains and personal effects in them to be treated. Is 'finders keepers' always the only consideration? I would have hoped that artefact hunters and collectors would be leading, rather than trying to block, such a public discussion.]
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"Ignore the hole, please, it's not
what you think" .(edited screengrab
from film in public domain under
conditions of fair use) |
Anyway, he gaily announces in the film that you'll see him walking own the street in Flamborough wearing this helmet. That's nice for him that he lives in the UK where (unlike here where I am) he'll not run the risk of being arrested for it. But then many men of his age (including some remembered by people still alive) died a few decades ago to prevent people walking down the streets of an English town wearing such a helmet. What kind of people are these metal detectorists?
30 comments:
"tsgt", you are a metal detectorist, aren't you? What you just sent to my blog is hate speech of the worst possible kind. You have been reported. Comment rejected. Go away you creep.
I'm a collector myself...without seeing the helmet up close I can't tell if its German,, swiss, Finnish, or swedish, and even if it is German, not necessarily nazi, btw we English fought to keep places free so people can wear what they want, so don't jump to conclusions, as any good detectorist knows!
i think you need to chill out make a mug of reality lol this is just for fun and if you you take it any other way you have a problem my granddads fort and died in that war you don't see me complaining
i think you need to chill out make a mug of reality lol this is just for fun and if you you take it any other way you have a problem my granddads fort and died in that war you don't see me complaining
Mr Brown, got a metal detector have you?
"Groundskeeper", if you've been following Deep Digger Dan you will know which foreign countries he goes searching in, and it is not Finland or Sweden, in any case, as a collector, you will doubtless know that among the foreign helmets in the former, the German pattern were in the minority. Why would a ground-dug "Swiss" helmet have a fragmentation hole in it? Why are you claiming this is not a M42 German helmet, which the forest battle sites of central Europe are still full of, many still on the heads of fallen soldiers in unmarked graves?
Maybe you'd like to pay a bit more attention to the content of the "competition" announcement [https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UUs5IxVpqCYv7xiPsclF8mFA&v=iYQek723LSM&feature=player_detailpage#t=193] to which this prancing about in a helmet is the prelude - sorry, "number of bullets dug up" in which region of Europe? Finland? Context "Groundskeeper", context.
In any case, wherever it is from, what the metal detectorist is doing here is still disrespectful and utterly insensitive for the reasons I gave but I am interested to see how many collectors are supporting this kind of thing.
Well OK he should not have done it, you think it's wrong, well some people think all metal detecting is wrong because any artefact from a war or battle field will belong to somebody who perhaps died .
I think after 70 years any human remains will be gone and many helmets were used as targets, many fell off and then damaged and of course people died wearing them. I saw last year at Fair-ford air show a tent selling helmets especially German all dug up from battle fields.
I saw many of them with actual battle damage and parents leaving the kids put them on, I saw one with an obvious bullet hole in one side out the other but the bullet did not line up, meaning it was deflected more then likely by the skull. But they had cleaned out the helmet and had used a cleaner like blasting with beads .
So yes he was silly but come on.
Incredible, "two wrongs make a right". There in black-and-white.
After seventy years I assure you that on many battlefields there are plenty of human remains. Including those left behind by metal detectorists who've rifled all the collectable buckles, buttons, medals, helmets and weapons and left the bones scattered. No this is NOT in any way "right", however many metal detectorists do it.
What are you digging up in Poland Paul?
potatoes, but they are tiny this year.
Wow. This is pretty defamatory. Have you spoken to, or contacted DDD in any way, shape or form in order to either confirm or deny the accusations you are implying?
"disrespectful and utterly insensitive" is an opinion Mr McKee, not an "accusation". The artefact hunter known as "Deep Digger Dan" is perfectly at liberty to contact me and explain why he thinks it is NOT. And then I will tell him why I think he is wrong. But coming up to two years on, DDD apparently can't be bothered to discuss what is and is not responsible behaviour.
Paul I was sent the helmet as a gift from an English friend not that it is any of your business. As stated above, we are a free country and can choose to wear whatever we like. I've warned you before and I will do it again. If you do not stop this personal crusade against me you will be hearing from my legal team. Enough is enough. Move on and concentrate on your own life.
I really do not see why you think it makes a difference who dug it up (like a kid's "It was not me miss!") in fact it makes it worse that you are prancing around in something you have no control on how it was recovered. IT HAS A SHELL GASH IN THE SIDE AND IT IS A NAZI HELMET. As I say, a lack of respect. So what is "responsible behaviour"?
Yes, I think these things should be discussed in a public forum, too many of you metal detectorists think that what you do is "nobody's business" - I disagree, the buried heritage belongs to everybody and what is done to it is a public concern. Laws controlling what you do (in Germany, France too) and collect and how are also applicable to everybody.
There is no "personal crusade". Don't delude yourself. A whole "legal team"? Wow, am I supposed to be impressed, or feel threatened?
I have tried to be nice. Now I am ordering you to remove those images and any others of myself from your website. This is a blatant infringement of my copyright material and if not removed within the reasonable amount of time of 72 hours I shall be taking the necessary steps to have your website closed down. Your choice.
Mr Holdsworth "being nice" is not threatening somebody, it is asking them. These images are used in a "limited and transformative purpose to comment upon, criticize, or parody a copyrighted work" fully in accordance with the terms of fair use. Ask your "legal team" to explain it to you. They might also suggest that you could simply address the points I made in a less confrontive manner. Can you do that please?
You ar are making slander you are trying to create a new line of haters maybe through the Green eyed monster and no matter what this guy does someone will try to pick on him/ from a family of soldiers let him be there far worse things happening right now and you say nothing he has done no wrong let him be look to your self's as the saying go's let him who is without sin cast the first stone oh and some people display there lord being tortured on a cross now that's disrespect but that's my opinion
Oh and have you seen the spitfire flying past your local air show or town venue how many lives did I take bit we all applause as it fly's by that tank at the ww1 WWII show how many did it kill but will watch it drive around on parade hmmm people think ! Before you hate as you may be hating in a mirror you forgot about like the spitfire you watched and celebrated as it flew by ......
Oh and its not as you are saying that is not a blast hole if it was it would be a massive inward indentation if it was a bullet it would be a smaller inward indentation you should do some digging and you would know or study military historical artifacts oh or ask a soldier
You seem to just have it in for detectorists deep digger Dan is in the top ranking when it comes to respect for our fallen soildes and a lot has been recovered by detectorists
our history is under our feet but when you get old Paul we get funny duddy and as there's not Much else to do we focus on things we don't like I don't think your a hater your just lost in this and now people are looking at you the spot light is turning remove this before you are the in the glow as that's how it works on the internet the pictures and your comments are not nice I have watched his video's he is just what we need to get kids off the computer and into history and detecting is a sure fun way to get them some fresh air am sure you are a nice guy deep down so do the right thing its OK to have a opinion but not if there's lies involved in your opinions and you should really apologise before its to late people are loving this chap and what he is doing not all diggers are bad !! Dan has morals you can see he does do it ! you know there's no fact to what you have written !
Wow... So you just make an assumption that the helmet came off of a dead soldier just because there's a hole in it? There are a million reasons why a 70 year old helmet would have a hole in it. Other than the hole, what evidence exists that would make you even go there? If it is JUST the hole, then you reeeeally need to shut down your blog... Because you're in the wrong business. I enjoy different opinions and perspectives, but have no respect for people who spread negativity without reason. Oh, and get a proofreader in the future if you DO decide to keep blogging... Your command of grammar and the English language is lacking in a big way.
Wow... So you just make an assumption that the helmet came off of a dead soldier just because there's a hole in it? There are a million reasons why a 70 year old helmet would have a hole in it. Other than the hole, what evidence exists that would make you even go there? If it is JUST the hole, then you reeeeally need to shut down your blog... Because you're in the wrong business. I enjoy different opinions and perspectives, but have no respect for people who spread negativity without reason. Oh, and get a proofreader in the future if you DO decide to keep blogging... Your command of grammar and the English language is lacking in a big way.
Wow... So you just make an assumption that the helmet came off of a dead soldier just because there's a hole in it? There are a million reasons why a 70 year old helmet would have a hole in it. Other than the hole, what evidence exists that would make you even go there? If it is JUST the hole, then you reeeeally need to shut down your blog... Because you're in the wrong business. I enjoy different opinions and perspectives, but have no respect for people who spread negativity without reason. Oh, and get a proofreader in the future if you DO decide to keep blogging... Your command of grammar and the English language is lacking in a big way.
What, you mean like "off of"?
There are not a "million reasons" and where I live the metal detectorists who find helmets in that state know why that is. DDD apparently either does not or does not care. That is the point I am making, but I see that you do not really care either. I bet you are a metal detectorist aren't you?
Reason 1: Quarter Master supply truck was mortared and helmets that had not yet even been worn were scattered and damaged... Reason 2: Used for target practice in WWII... Reason 3: Used for target practice in the past 70 years... Reason 4: Lost or discarded and damaged by artillery... Etc. Every one of those seems more likely to me thatn the 1 in a million chance it came OFF OF a dead soldier's head.
And no, I'm not a metal detectorist... But that is inconsequential to you, right? You don't bother yourself with things lime facts and the truth. Once you've made your mind up about someone, you label them and then close your eyes and cover your ears.
Such a sad little man.
The Deep Digger Dan fan club is still at it !
1. Most helmets arrived on battlefield not in trucks (which went to barracks away from the front line) but on the heads of young men who came under fire, 2 and 3, special pleading, soldiers taught to shoot guns on firing ranges, not taking pot shots at tin cans. Hundreds thousands of men were killed in action wearing the helmets, especially the M44 model, finding a helmet with a blast hole in the side from the scene of such a death is not a "one in a million" event, they are in the forests all around places like Warsaw, Stalingrad and Berlin - and in the Kurland Kessel.
But all this is special pleading, used by people who just want the "thrill" of putting a Nazi helmet on and poncing around Flamborough in it (no doubt also waving his "gon" and shouting "bang, bang, bang, I feel like the terminator!" http://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2015/09/deep-digger-dan.html).
Look at yourselves and ask who are the "sad little men".
I completely agrre with you paul.
I completely agree paul.
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