British No.36M Grenade

[BrodieBartfast]

Hello folks.

One of two inert Mills bombs I purchased over the weekend. This one is British. The other, which I will post shortly, is a Canadian example.

I'll get it out of the way early, and say that this grenade has almost certainly been repainted. It looks the part, however. I would be truly surprised to learn the paintwork was original, but am not currently entertaining any serious hope of that being the case.

The body of the grenade and the fly-off lever are both marked 'A.M. & Co.' for A. Marston & Co. of Wolverhampton. The base plug is marked 'TA&S' for Tweedales and Smalley. There is also an unusual marking on the filler plug which I have not been able to identify. The numbers 314, and what can only be described as a drawing of a fish. While there are no date markings visible on the exterior of the grenade, unscrewing the base plug reveals a date marking of 1942 on the base of the internal tube.

I like this one, even if it has been touched up postwar. The components are all original, and the internal mechanism functions as it should. It's great fun to pull the pin and let the lever fly across the room. Not so fun to put back together, however.



Regards, B.B.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

A nice example... as an aside, when I was at the ranges in Mourmelon le Grande in 1970 with my regiment, we used the Mills bomb - each man responsible for priming his own grenade. They were painted in a translucent brown protective lacquer substance and came in a case possibly six or eight grenades either side of the tin of detonators in the centre... I can't remember the exact number. It was rather disconcerting to hear the baseplates from exploding grenades whizzing over your head as you lay down and awaited your turn in the throwing pit.

A tip for pushing up the plunger... insert a screwdriver, place on a flat surface with the base of the screwdriver on the flat surface, and then push the grenade down and position the lever with the free hand.

[BrodieBartfast]

A nice example... as an aside, when I was at the ranges in Mourmelon le Grande in 1970 with my regiment, we used the Mills bomb - each man responsible for priming his own grenade. They were painted in a translucent brown protective lacquer substance and came in a case possibly six or eight grenades either side of the tin of detonators in the centre... I can't remember the exact number. It was rather disconcerting to hear the baseplates from exploding grenades whizzing over your head as you lay down and awaited your turn in the throwing pit.

A tip for pushing up the plunger... insert a screwdriver, place on a flat surface with the base of the screwdriver on the flat surface, and then push the grenade down and position the lever with the free hand.

Thank you for the background info. Interesting to hear that they were in use for so long after their introduction. I know one of the issues with them was their tendency to catch the thrower in the blast radius, thus the introduction of grenades like the No.69 that could be more safely used in an offensive role. One of the most deadly grenade designs of the war, certainly. For the man throwing it as well as those on the receiving end!

I'll keep the screwdriver tip in mind if I ever decide to mess around with them again!

Regards, B.B.

[Jb4046]

I wouldn’t greet about it being repainted. Restored ordnance does not lose its value compared to the likes of helmets or medals.

However original painted ordnance will always demand high prices.

Repainted and original ordnance with no colour will demand similar prices to each other.
Relics are the cheapest.

Very nice nonetheless!

[BrodieBartfast]

I wouldn’t greet about it being repainted. Restored ordnance does not lose its value compared to the likes of helmets or medals.

However original painted ordnance will always demand high prices.

Repainted and original ordnance with no colour will demand similar prices to each other.
Relics are the cheapest.

Very nice nonetheless!

I look at it in the same light as those repainted First World War shells you can buy from various dealers. As long as the repaint is historically accurate, it really doesn't hurt. Especially considering how rare it must be to find one of these grenades with all of the original paintwork in place.

B.B.

[Rescue190]

Nice complete grenade BB.
John

[BlackCat1982]

The pin and ring are replacements though.

[BrodieBartfast]

The pin and ring are replacements though.

Period replacements, or modern ones?

B.B.

[BlackCat1982]

Period replacements, or modern ones?

B.B.

The rings are nearly always one piece of sprung steel rather than the keyring type ring you have, the split pin looks a little long but after 80 plus years it is not surprising things get broken or replaced.

I will have a look through my boxes and see if I can find an original ring for you.

[BrodieBartfast]

The rings are nearly always one piece of sprung steel rather than the keyring type ring you have, the split pin looks a little long but after 80 plus years it is not surprising things get broken or replaced.

I will have a look through my boxes and see if I can find an original ring for you.

I've seen photos of other Mills bombs with the keyring-style ring. Presumably those were replaced postwar as well. It certainly looks old, but if it's not correct I'd be happy to replace it. The same applies to my Canadian grenade as well?

B.B.