BRADENTON BEACH – When Richard Beldman returned to Ontario after his month-long stay at the Runaway Bay resort, he left behind a collection of World War II era ammunition casings he unearthed from the renourished beach across the street.

The majority of Beldman’s discoveries are now the property of the Anna Maria Island Historical Society, as Beldman felt it was only right that the artifacts remain in the community where they were found.

The Canadian construction contractor discovered the buried munitions in March, using his Garrett A1 Pro metal detector. He believes the .50 caliber bullets were fired from military aircraft during offshore training exercises that took place in the mid-1940s. Identification numbers found the on the casing bases reveal the number 43, which, according to Beldman, indicates they were manufactured in 1943.

The casings were likely submerged offshore, vacuumed from the sandy bottom by beach renourishment equipment, and recently redeposited on the beach.

The few casings Beldman took home with him will join the collection of military and native Canadian artifacts he has been gathering for the 30 years. His collection includes arrowheads, musket balls, bullet casings, tokens, military uniform buttons, settler’s coins and more.

Unlike some metal detector users, Beldman has little interest searching for lost jewelry and other items that can be sold for a quick profit. He prefers to use his detector for historical purposes instead.

“I love the old coins from 1812 to 1820. It’s not the value, it’s the historical value I’m interested in,” he said.

When asked what his greatest discovery has been to date, the 60-year old motorcycle enthusiast said, “My belief in Jesus Christ.”

Joined by his wife Nelly, Beldman has been making his annual pilgrimage to the Island since 1984.