A DAD and his son went fishing in a canal with a giant magnet — and caught a World War One machine gun.
Builder Billy Nixon, 48, and Reece, 14, pulled up the rusty relic during a day out.
Their pals dredged up three more from the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation at Rotherham as they enjoyed the popular hobby of looking for metal in waterways using magnets tied to ropes.
Dad-of-two Billy, of Leeds, called police when he got home and they took the gun away.
It was sent to an expert who authenticated it as a Vickers from the Great War.
Billy said: “As soon as the barrel came out of the water I knew what we’d found.
"To have a piece of history in my hands, to have pulled it up from the depths, is a feeling I just can’t describe.
“You wonder who held this gun, what they were like and their story. It’s magical.”
The father and son were astounded when the barrel of a machine gun emerged from the water. Experts later confirmed it was part of a Vickers machine gun from World War One.
It had spent more than a century at the bottom of the canal after falling off a boat carrying weapons home from the trenches.
Several crates of weapons had fallen into the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation waterway near Rotherham after the war, probably while on their way to be melted down following the Armistice.
The guns were made by Vickers Ltd for the British Army from the early 1900s, through both world wars, until 1960.
They were originally operated by as many as eight servicemen, one to fire the weapon, one to feed the ammunition and the rest to carry it and all its spare parts.
The air-cooled version of the machine guns was used by Allied First World War fighter aircraft.
Mr. Nixon said: 'I recognised it straightaway but that was nothing to the thrill of knowing we had dredged up a piece of history from its watery grave.
'I was lost for words when I was holding it in my hands. But I knew I had better call the cops and tell them what I had found.'
After his fascinating find, some of his angling friends also tried their luck and 'caught' three more of the weapons.
Some of them claim they will be back next week to see what else lies hidden in the depths.
Since they were discontinued in the 1960s, Vickers machine guns have since become collector's items and World War One models in mint condition can sell for up to £20,000.
What were Vickers machine guns?
The Vickers machine gun, or Vickers gun, was made by Vickers Limited for the British Army from 1914 until the 1960s.
Used during the First and Second World Wars, they required between six and eight men to operate them – one to fire the weapon, one to feed the ammunition and the rest to carry it and its spare parts.
The Vickers gun was formally adopted as its standard machine gun the Army in November 1912.
They had a good reputation for solidity and reliability. Based on the Maxim guns of the 19th century, Vickers bought the Maxim company outright in 1896 and worked on improving its model until war was declared in 1914.
Air-cooled versions of the Vickers guns were used by British and French allied forces on their fighter planes during World War One.
By the time World War Two was declared, Vickers were still being used on fighter aircraft but were gradually replaced by the faster-firing and more reliable Browning Model 1919.
The Gloster Gladiator was the last RAF fighter to be installed with a Vickers gun.
They were produced until the 1960s, however, when they were put out of service.
(Sources: Lara Keay Daily Mail- 23/10/2019)
Sources: Paul Sims, The Sun- 23/10/2019)
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10193292/ww1-machine-gun-magnet-fishing/
