bouncy ride

can any one tell me if one replaces the shocks will it make any difference and if so what sort gas or not? having cleaned the springs that did help a bit

The springs create the bounce and absorb the shocks from the road.
The dampers control the bounce.

So it really depends what sort of bounciness you're getting. Does it just bounce once then stop, on hitting a bump? Springs. Does it bounce and keep bouncing? Dampers.

it bounces and keeps bouncing though roads here abouts are lumpy due to old mine workings

if you bounce it on the springs by jumping on the bumper / back it should just bounce once then stop. New dampers are quite cheap and easy to fit on swb's - a bit more fiddly on LWB's as the back one are held on with a difficult to access nut. Fronts and SWB backs are one bolt through chassis at the top which is usually easy to undo and a split pin at the bottom.

I got some de carbon gas ones that give slightly more damping to further minimise bounciness over speed bumps and better match my parabolic springs.

What springs have you...multi leaf or Parabolics.

multi leaf I fitted some new Monroe shocks and the ride is much better thanks