The Adam Park Project

Item Information:

Catalogue Number: 07/02/006 Source: TAPP Archaeology Surveys Location: No7 Adam Park Report No: Report No.15 Artifact Type: ammunition Production Date: 2013-11-01 00:00:00 Dimensions of Item: See Report 15 Copyright with The Adam Park Project

Other Description:

The most impressive ordnance artefact found on site at No.7 Adam Park was a full charger of .303 ammunition (item 07/02/06) which was the centre of a cluster of bullets, rounds and cartridges found two thirds up T2

Historic Context:

The .303 charger held five bullets and was inserted into the breech mechanism during the loading process. An infantry section of 6 to 8 men would be expected to carry 800 rounds of .303 in 160 chargers either in their ammunition pouches on their webbing or in cotton bandoliers along with 21 x 30 round Bren gun magazines. This means each man would carry in access of 100 rounds (20 chargers) each. All the items were British and unfired suggesting they were abandoned at the same time possibly by the one man. There is a range of manufacturers represented in the collection suggesting this soldier had collected ammunition from a number of different batches or sources during his time in Singapore. The discovery of 8 similar charger units just along the road at No. 8 Adam Park (Survey Report 8) many with cartridges still held inside was believed to be indicative of the disposal of ammunition across the site after the fighting. The troops would have had pouches full of ammunition and charger units immediately before the surrender and the Japanese demanded that all ammunition was removed before the Cambridgeshires were marched into the tennis court for their initial period of captivity.