Hello folks.
This one was a lucky eBay pickup. This particular type of fuse isn't the rarest, but it is certainly desirable, particularly among collectors of Home Front items. What I have here is a nice, complete example of the No. 199 fuse. These were fixed to the shells fired by the 3.7-inch 'Ack-Ack' gun, commonly deployed in an anti-aircraft role across Britain during the Second World War. These are somewhat unique among British fuses, as they feature a bakelite nose cone rather than being made entirely of brass.
This appears to be a relic that has been cleaned up. The date of '42' is very faintly visible on the upper ring. There is also a '45' marking on the inside of the nose cone, though I am not sure if this is a date or some other factory marking.
Unlike most, which have seized up with age, this one can be fully disassembled. It is interesting to be able to view the internal components of these fuses. Very complex devices for something that would only be used once!
Regards, B.B.
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