Anti-aircraft artillery fragment

A copper alloy fragment from a driving band from anti-aircraft artillery used during the Second World War. The driving band was pressed on to the base of artillery shells to provide a tight gas seal against the inside of the barrel, centring the shell and engaging with the internal rifling of the barrel. This would cause it to spin and improve ballistic stability. During the 2022 Piermaster's Green community excavation a group of friends stopped to speak to the archaeologists at work. One member of the public, 90 years old, shared her memories “On the way to school we used to collect the shrapnel, silly really but it was exciting”. This object was excavated by Museum of Liverpool Archaeology and community volunteers during the Piermaster's Green Community Dig. The project investigated the homes of Dock Masters, Pier Masters and their families. Numbers 7, 8 and 10 Albert Parade were built by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board in 1852 to accomidate staff for the Albert and Canning Docks. The houses were hit by an incendiary bomb during the Second World War.