Mills Grenade base plug query

[John Winter]

I'd be grateful if anybody tell me what the WDC stands for on this plug?

[Eric Zentner]

Wolverhampton Die-Casting Co.

Eric

[Steve T]

Beat me to it Eric

Out of interest, this page can be quite useful sometimes. Saves a lot of web searching

No36 M Mk1 Base Plugs

[John Winter]

Thank you guys ... I found your replies very useful!

[John Winter]

Thank you guys ... I found your replies very useful!

I've posted about this in my blog:


Mills Grenade Base Plug | John Winter

[big ned]

I arranged the removal and transport of some of the machinery and tooling from the Wolverhampton Die Casting Company after it closed and everything was auctioned off back around 2004-5.

I remember that the dies and molds of many different components were scrapped wholesale, including those for the ringed hilt of the 3rd Pattern Fairburn-Sykes Fighting Knife! There was a lot of money made in scrap off that job....

[John Winter]

As a detectorist I am intrigued as to why I find so many base plugs but never fragments of the grenade casing. Were the plugs made of a different - and sturdier - metal?

[Datrus]

As a detectorist I am intrigued as to why I find so many base plugs but never fragments of the grenade casing. Were the plugs made of a different - and sturdier - metal?

We find a lot of this on the Eastern Front as well, along with fuses in good condition. I think it's because they are threaded/screwed into the shells and pop out like a Champagne cork We also find a LOT of shrapnel, which is something the devil invented for metal detectors

Regards, Lars

[Steve T]

All depends on what you set your discrim at John. If I start finding base plugs I turn my discrim down and can then find the other bits of the grenade. Problem is, you soon get fed up of it because whole areas are littered with fragments the size of your fingernail! You can find larger chunks, but it is often the case that, with the discrim right down, you get so many detections you can't pinpoint finds.

[John Winter]

Thanks Datrus and Steve T for the prompt replies.
It was a query on my blog which, thanks to your help, I have answered!