Cornwall At War Museum

Newly acquired for the WWI display are 3 darts which were thrown from aircraft to targets below. The German dart had a twisted shaft to make it spin during it's descent. The tip is very sharp and would pierce a helmet with the velocity of it's drop and enter the skull of the unfortunate soldier. The two British ones would have been dropped out of a Royal Flying Corps planes. The first had a small tail at the end of it with an exceedingly sharp tip which would have been capable of piercing a helmet on impact. Again these darts would enter the skull of the unfortunate recipient. The second one had been modified with a hole in the shaft to accept a small amount of explosives. These were dropped on to Zeppelins and caused  massive explosions when they hit and pierced the hydrogen filled airships.

This is our air raid shelter looking very spring like with it's covering of primroses and cowslips. Inside it's cold and damp and has the full sound effects of an air raid in progress. It really makes you think of how it must have been for people sleeping in theses shelters night after night, year after year. A lot of people went to the shelters as a matter of course before it got dark to save having to rush down in the middle of the night. They would have a thermos of tea, maybe a lamp or candles and try to sleep in the cramped conditions. These shelters must have saved the lives of thousands of people throughout the UK.

Last week we had a visit from a gentleman from Australia who follows this blog. We've had 6338 views since this started in December 2017, with views from over 23 countries - some simply shown as unknown region - we can only imagine where they are from. If you do follow the blog please tell us when you check in at the guardroom.

We have a new addition to the guard duty this year, Private Paartz. He is a life size model in uniform and looks very realistic. He's made a couple of us jump when we catch sight of him even though we know he's not real.

Last Saturday saw the opening of the museum for the 2019 season. We have a bit of a dilemma as to who the first visitors really are. There were a group of cadets who camped out over Friday night, so they were there at the turn of midnight. But then there were Ian and Glenn who were the first paying guests through the gates. Think we'll have to call it a draw. Ian and Glenn. First through the gates.