Discovery on my trench art shelf.

[pitfighter]

Interesting if minor discovery in my trench art shelf.
While reading the Devil's Paintbrush, recommended to me by the seller of my M1910.
Amongst the many inventions Hiram Maxim takes credit for is the Pom Pom, 37mm (one-pounder or 1.457") scaled up Maxim Navel deck gun.
A few years ago my daughter bought me a Pom Pom round for Xmas - it was in a junk shop, and is quite untouched.
I thought I'd put them together.

"...The Pom Pom name... ...as it was bestowed by African natives during the Boer war in onomatopoetic imitation of the gun's slow pounding rate of fire..." - The Devil's Paintbrush by Dolf L. Goldsmith.


Pit.
*Photo's of M1910 to follow - at 165 pound pallet weight shipping it is moving slowly across the country.

[GIZMO8Z]

Very nice! I found a spent 37mm shell in the trash last week.

[pitfighter]

Your trash or someone elses? -

[GIZMO8Z]

It came into my parent's recycling facility in a dumpster.

[pitfighter]

Ahhh - got ya.

Not all 37mm shells were created equal, and not all are spent.
If you have a fired Pom Pom round, I would be very interested in adding it to my collection.

Supposedly Hiram Maxim, stated that the Pom Pom exploding round was the only good use of black pwoder, as the smoke made by the exploding rounds gave the gunner a point of aim to adjust to.

The Devil's paintbrush is an incredible book for anyone interested in the history of military weapons, particularly the machine gun.

The lengths, detailed in the book, that Maxim went to, to attempt to disperse and limit the smoke and grime from the black-powder round is quite interesting, when the French came up with the smokeless round it really kicked off the machine-gun race in earnest.

Pit.

[Bill Grist]

Great Book a must for all gun lovers...BILL

[Feuerbach]

I have a fired 37mm round, and always thought it was a Pom Pom grenade, it its longer han the round on your photo. And mine has a timing fuse. Its 133x37mm. i post a photograph if you like.

[pitfighter]

Would love to see it -
Mine has French markings and compared to photos I found on line, but either of ours could also be Hotchkiss rounds, which were a 37mm contemporary (forerunner) of the Pom Pom.
RJ Militaria -A22 - WW1 French 37mm shell cases

granada rompedora completa 37mm, pompom, inerte | 29629656

According to the Devil's Paintbrush book, the Pom Pom went through the same evolution as the Maxim machine gun for the first decade, so I'm sure variances in caliber and case size exist - as they did for the MG.

I am positively no expert, lol, just a smiling collector,



Pit.

[Feuerbach]

Here are some pics of the grenade I have. Its 37mm x 134mm, and complety hollow. Maybe it was a tracer? let me know if you have any interest in it for yout collection.

[pitfighter]

Nice - the brass end is in amazing condition for having been fired.

Truthfully my collection interests right now are centered around Maxim articles and history - as that is the new-toy incoming -
200lbs pallet weight, over three pallets, lol.

This Toad of Toadhall is obsessed with all things related to the Devil's Paintbrush!

I have this wonderful recently acquired G33-40 that I haven't even taken to the range yet, I am waiting to make the range-trip so that I can haul that Sokolov mount out.
It is actually good that it is taking so long to ship - as this book is no short read, lol.

Happy collecting!

Pit.