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Cartridge case primers

G

GeoffR

Active Member
P1050721bcrop.jpg

The picture shows an unfired but distorted (exploded) primer with a diameter of 35mm / 1.4". It was found, along with others on a beach near Harwich, UK.
I am familiar with this type and size of primer from the base of a 3" 20cwt cartridge case, but was this a standard primer used in other cartridge cases or just the 3"? Also, why two dates on this kind of thing?
 
Thanks spotter, I've just found another thread from 2008 which links the No11 with 3.7"AA rounds, so it looks like it covers a variety of cartridge sizes.
Many thanks
Geoff
 
These were used in many different types of cartride case.

One date is the date of manufacture of the brass primer body. This was done by the Royal Laboratories at Woolwich in December 1939. The second date is the date that it was filled with explosives (April 1940). Someone else will know what fillling station used the "W".
 
Thanks Falcon. Pity I won't be able to pin it down to a particular type, or types. I'm trying to work out how they came to be on the same beach at various times in the 1970s. Of a dozen found, all are distorted, presumably by explosion, and none have been fired. They range between Mks I, II and III with filling dates between March 39 and April 41. Interestingly five have the same batch number and filling date (333 - May 39), filled by 'W'.

Just to spread the date range a No1 MkII primer, similarly distorted has (what I think is) a fill date of Feb 44, by KBY. Also a few No18 MkII primers still within the blasted bases of 40mm cartridge cases date between 1941 and 1942, one has been fired, but another has not.

Had a ship's magazine exploded in the vicinity I could understand the distortion, but how such heavy items could be moved inshore on a muddy/sandy east coast (UK) shore makes that less likely - and I know of no such shipping disasters in the local area.

Three other photos of these No11 primers follow:

Primer No11 MkII & III P1050803.jpg
Primer No11 I P1050796bcrop.jpgPrimer No11 III P1050804crop.jpg
 
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If the complete round had the charge burn then the primer would be forced out and I would expect some stripping of the thread (as No.80 fuzes have when used in shrapnel shell.) this would occur in a magazine fire.
 
Falcon
Thanks, but no, otherwise that would indeed provide an explanation.

2pounder
Thanks, but no sign of thread stripping, most are just badly distorted and all except the two in the photo have their 'exploders' sheared off where they join the primer leaving the threaded part of the exploder still inside the primer. A magazine fire would fit well with having several from the same production batch, as would dumping damaged/exploded debris at sea.
 
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