The WW1 UK Grenade Gallery

WW1 British 1916 No.5 Mills Bomb

This is a good example of the William Mills engineered No. 5 Grenade. The No.5 was produced in huge numbers during the Great War and is probably the most widely recognised of all grenades used by the British in the 20th century. Its sucessor the No.36 lived on through the 2nd World War into the 1970's. This particular example dates from February 1916, there is a maker mark on the body, and the brass base plug has the maker name "Calthorpe Motor Co.". All parts are in good order with some pitting to the striker and lever.

WW1 British No. 3 Mk II Rifle Grenade

This is an excellent example of the 1915 No. 3 Mk II Rifle Grenade. This model used a complicated wind vane assembly which was difficult to manufacture and not always reliable leading to simpler subsequent models. The spring clip (not fitted on this example) held the grenade in the rifle until fired when the collar would drop back allowing the airflow to unscrew the wind vane thus releasing the firing pin for detonation on impact. This particular example is the Mk II version with the contoured base to improve airflow to the wind vane. In good overall condition, however, the wind vane surrond has some minor damage and the rod is lightly renovated - the original safety pin is present The rifle clip is missing - these were not always fitted. There are superb markings on various parts - the vane is marked "The Cotton Powder Co. Ltd. London Hales Patent", the brass top is marked "No. 3 II F & S 1916" and the plug is marked "G.T.L July /16".

WW1 1915 British Battye Grenade and Fuse

WW1 1915 British Battye Grenade and Fuse

WW1 British No. 15 Ball grenade

This scarce grenade known as the Cricket Ball Grenade could be thrown by hand or catapult. It was used extensively by the British forces at the Battle of Loos in September 1915 following earlier use in the Gallipoli campaign. However due to the much poorer rainy weather in Northern France, in most cases the matchhead fuses failed to light and the grenade was withdrawn from service later the same year being replaced by the similar but smaller No.16 Oval Grenade for hand use. This example has some overall pitting but is complete with the INERT fuse and retaining wire. This wire is ORIGINAL (unearthed recently) British trench telephone wire as was commonly used for this purpose! They are rarely found complete

WW1 British No. 27 Mk II Smoke Grenade

This is a scarce and complete example of the 1917 No. 27 Mk II Smoke Grenade. Due to the fragile construction these are very difficult to find in good condition. The No.27 was introduced at the end of 1916 as a phosphorous filled smoke grenade (some reports suggest it was ocassionally filled with lachymatory liquid for use as a tear gas grenade). Generally fired from a rifle the Mk. I was fitted with a rod, the Mk.II (this one) used a disc like the Mills No.36. This particular example is in very good overall condition. The body is solid with no perforations (slightly renovated). The brass top is in excellent condition as is the fuse and striker assembly - even the original (INERT) fuse and percussion cap are present - maker marked "Eley" with slight remains of the paper wrapping!. All parts disassemble although the disc is in poor pitted condition and a tight fit to the base.

WW1 British No.36 MK I Mills Training Grenade

This is a superb example of the 1917 No. 36 model Mills hand or rifle Grenade. When fitted with a gas-check disc it was designed to be used with the "Burns" cup discharger. This method enabled a greater range with more accuracy than the preceeding No. 23 rodded model, without the disc it was used as a standard hand thrown grenade. This example is a rare original training model - it has the correct WW1 inner and much of the original paint finish. The plug is marked "No.36 M I" and "W & Co" with the date "8.18". These were often supplied without a striker, lever or spring etc - all these items are included although I believe they are later additions

WW1 British No.36 Mk 1 Mills Grenade

This is a good example of the 1917 No.36 model Mills hand or rifle Grenade. When fitted with a gas-check disc it was designed to be used with the "Burns" cup discharger. This method enabled a greater range with more accuracy than the preceeding No. 23 rodded model, without the disc it could be used as a standard hand thrown grenade. This example is in good overall condition, however the body is lightly pitted. The baseplate is (I believe) a modern reproduction. The baseplug is faintly marked - "No.36 M1 10/17".

WW1 British 1916 No.23 Rifle Grenade and Rod

This is a good example of the first model 1916 No. 23 Mills Bomb rifle grenade. Basically converted from the No.5 hand grenade by the addition of a rodded base plug these were designed to be used with the No.1 Mk.1 pannier. The grenade is in good solid condition and complete with the inner aluminium assembly, the brass base plug is in good condition with very clear markings.

WW1 British Battye Grenade and Fuse

These rare grenades were manufactured by French engineers in the town of Bethune, Northern France for the British Army in 1915. Named after Major Battye (the inventor) it consisted of a segmented roughly cast iron cylinder originally containing Ammonal, sealed with a wooden plug, and fitted with a Nobel or match fuse. This example is in superb condition and complete with the original plug and the original Bickford fuse (now INERT). The original plugs have nearly always shrunken with age and are consequently a loose fit.

WW1 British No. 15 Ball grenade

This scarce grenade known as the Cricket Ball Grenade could be thrown by hand or catapult. It was used extensively by the British forces at the Battle of Loos in September 1915 following earlier use in the Gallipoli campaign. However due to the much poorer rainy weather in Northern France, in most cases the matchhead fuses failed to light and the grenade was withdrawn from service later the same year being replaced by the similar but smaller No.16 Oval Grenade for hand use. This example is lightly pitted but is complete with the INERT fuse and retaining wire. This wire is ORIGINAL (unearthed recently) British trench telephone wire as was commonly used for this purpose! They are rarely found complete.

WW1 British No. 22 Pippin Rifle Grenade

This is a good example of the 1915 No. 22 model "Pippen" Rifle Grenade. This was a very simple but effective grenade manufactured in France for the British Army after a design by Captain Newton (of trench mortar fame amongst others - see the "Toffee Apple" plug!). The body (with some pitting) has a faint date "1916" and some other faint markings. The rod is slightly renovated.

WW1 British 1916 No.23 Rifle Grenade and Rod

This is a good example of the first model 1916 No. 23 Mills Bomb rifle grenade. Basically converted from the No.5 hand grenade by the addition of a rodded base plug these were designed to be used with the No.1 Mk.1 pannier. The grenade is in good solid condition with some light pitting to most parts (please note the inner aluminium assembly is not present), the brass base plug is in good condition with very clear markings (dated November 1916).

WW1 British No.24 MK I Rifle Grenade

This is a very good example of the 1917 No. 24 model Rifle Grenade. Very similar to the No. 20 it was however, safer and more reliable in use. This particular example is in excellent overall condition complete with the original top plug and safety pin. The plug has some faint markings and the date "1917". The rod has some minor renovation

WW1 British 1916 No.5 Mills Bomb Grenade

This is an excellent example of the William Mills engineered No. 5 Grenade. The No.5 was produced in huge numbers during the Great War and is probably the most widely recognised of all grenades used by the British in the 20th century. Its sucessor the No.36 lived on through the 2nd World War into the 1970's. They are now rare in this condition. This particular example dates from 1916, there is a faint maker mark on the body, and the brass base plug has the maker name "T.A & S". All parts are in good order with no evidence of rust. The inner assembly is not present. Please see the photos for more detail.

WW1 British 1917 No.36 Mills Rifle Grenade

This is a good example of the 1917 No.36 model Mills hand or rifle Grenade. When fitted with a gas-check disc it was designed to be used with the "Burns" cup discharger. This method enabled a greater range with more accuracy than the preceeding No. 23 rodded model, without the disc it could be used as a standard hand thrown grenade. This example is in good condition, however the plate is heavily pitted and a poor fitting on the baseplug. The inner assembly is not present.

WW1 British No.34 MK III Egg Grenade

This is an excellent example of the scarce British No. 34 grenade introduced in 1917 to rival the lightweight German "Eirehandgranate" or "Egg" grenade. This is the Mk III version dated 1917. The body is in good solid condition with some light pitting, the brass fuse assembly is also in good condition. The lead plug is a reproduction. The maker mark and date can be seen "34 III D&M 1917"

WW1 British No.34 Egg Grenade

This is an excellent example of the scarce British No. 34 grenade introduced in 1917 to rival the lightweight German "Eirehandgranate" or "Egg" grenade. This is the Mk III version dated 1917. The body is in good solid condition with some light pitting, the brass fuse assembly is also in good condition. The lead plug is a reproduction. The maker mark and date can be seen "34 III D&M 1917".

WW1 British Stokes 3 inch Trench Mortar

This is a very good example of one of the most significant weapons of the Great War - the 3 inch trench mortar invented by Frederick Stokes in 1915. Previously British trench mortars had been heavy, complicated and slow in use - the Stokes mortar was a simple, lightweight design that could be fired at over twenty rounds a minute - most subsequent mortars of the 20th century differed little from Stokes design. This particular example is in good overall condition. In the tail the remains of the (inert) shotgun type propellent case can be seen. The gases from the cartridge were ejected through the holes in the tail - for additional range small linen bags containing flaked Cordite could be fitted around the tail - I have one of these bags for sale in a seperate auction this week - it is shown in a picture here purely for information - it is NOT included with this item - you are bidding on the MORTAR ONLY. In the top the Mills type fuse assembly is present - the lever and safety pins detach but the striker is seized inside.

WW1 British Mills Bomb Baseplug Tool

This is a rare example of the tool used to fix the baseplugs of Great War No.23 British Grenades. It was found with others in the original box and is really in poor relic condition with deep pitting however it is absolutely original. If you have a copy of "Delhomme-Les Grenades Anglaise...", there is an illustration on page 76.

WW1 British Relic from the Western Front - Mortar

This is an interesting relic item recovered from the battlefields from the Great War in Northern France. It is the brass transport plug used to seal the fuse hole in the British 2 inch trench mortars commonly known as "Toffee Apples" or "Plum Puddings". These heavy mortars were used to great effect during the Somme offensive of 1916. There is a picture of one of these mortars (from my own collection) showing the plug fitted below (please note the mortar is NOT included in this sale - ONLY the plug!). The plug is dated February 1916 - a great piece of history.

WW1 British Relic from the Western Front - Shell Fuse

This is an interesting relic item recovered from the battlefields from the Great War in Northern France. It is the cast iron top and brass fuse from a British shell - I am not sure which type - maybe the 60 pdr? The fuse is the No.85 model and is dated 1915 or 1916 (it is not clear).

I would like to thank Monsieur Poilu, for his kind permission to put the grenade pictures on the 'Before 1919...' website.

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