Did you know that World War II sea mines found a new purpose on the British Isles?

With the exception of some types of vehicles, old war equipment often has little if any reuse value. It's always interesting to see examples of the opposite, especially when the item reused was specifically designed as a self-destruct weapon. One interesting case is that of old World War II sea mines on the British Isles.

There are World War II sea mines you might find while wandering the coastal areas of the United Kingdom. Gutted and painted a bright red and white, they have found a new purpose in life as oversized donation boxes. These boxes are maintained by the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, a UK-based organization founded in 1839 and dedicated to aiding shipwreck survivors, the families of those lost at sea, and former mariners and fishermen in need. During World War II, the Society aided not only mariners, but also any soldier, airman, nurse or civilian rescued from the sea and put ashore in Britain. The Admiralty donated the Society some 200 mines for the purpose of collection after World War II, some 60 of which are still around.

Three of these mines, installed on the isle of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands located off the coast of Normandy, made an appearance in the news in the summer of 2024 on the occasion of them being refurbished. The mines also got a new overseer in the person of former harbormaster Howard Le Cornu, who accepted the position of Honorary Agent for Jersey from the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society after the previous local agent had to step down due to poor health. Jersey, along with the rest of the Channel Islands, also hold another World War II-related fact of historical interest explored on our Channel Islands tours: they were the only part of the British Isles to be conquered by German troops during the war. (Read our previous article)

Beside putting money in them, the public can also interact with the donation collection mines by answering the Society's Mine to Mine Challenge and visit them all. It's estimated that a cyclist would need about three months to do so, but they should also prepare to get in a boat, as some of the mines are located on the outlying islands of the British Isles.

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