What's new
British Ordnance Collectors Network

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

G&M Ltd Mills...

Nismosonic

Nismosonic

Well-Known Member
I have a Glover & Mail Ltd Mills in my collection, fully marked (body, base plug and spoon dated 1940)
iI was Wondering if anyone could shed a bit more light on this manufacturer.. Where they were from and when was they in operation?
Pin is of sealed type (ring not like on a key ring, just a steel ring welded together) was wondering what proportion of pin rings were like this, ? i have 2 like this out of 9 Mills 36 grenades in my collection, and 1 on a number 5.
 
Nismosonic,

G&ML

Glover and Main, Gothic Works, Angel Road, Edmonton, London.

1843 Thomas Glover invented the original diaphragm gas meter.
1897 Company founded.
1897 Public company.
1897 T. Glover and Co manufactured Gas Meters at the Gothic Works. The company later amalgamated with R. and A. Main gas stove makers. During the 20th century they became one of the largest manufacturers of gas cookers in the UK. A new factory was built in 1951 on part of the Gothic Works.
1961 Manufacturers of domestic gas and electrical appliances, catering equipment and meters. 3,500 employees.
1965 The business was taken over by Thorn Electrical Industries.
Production ceased in 1983.
Manufactured grenades in the Great War

G&M

Gregson & Monk, Vulcan Iron Works, Preston

Founders and loom manufacurers
Made 18 pdr H.E. shells in the Great War

Regards

TimG
 
Last edited:
This Mills is a 1940 dated 36 M. G&M L on base plug, body and lever (sorry Millsman) so would not fit into manufacture during great war, were they also know to manufacture grenades in ww2 ?
Thanks for the info so far.
 
Nismosonic said:
Pin is of sealed type (ring not like on a key ring, just a steel ring welded together) was wondering what proportion of pin rings were like this, ? i have 2 like this out of 9 Mills 36 grenades in my collection, and 1 on a number 5.
Click to expand...

It's not scientific but I'd say about 30-40% of WW2 Grenades had welded rings and the rest split rings. It varied from maker to maker, supplier to supplier. Based on my experience of WW2 36's. This type of ring on a No5 would be normally be wrong. The No 5 had two sizes of rings but they were both normally split.

John
 
Ring pulls

From D.G.M.D./R/59:
Rings of safety pins for the Nos. 5 and 19 grenades to be made of steel wire with a welded joint, as alternative to the present split ring. C.I.W. design 3092.
Date of approval 25.4.16


G & M Ltd

Glover and Main did indeed make No.36 in WWII. A good chance of the above mentioned item coming from contract G/5364, placed July 1940 for 400,000.




Tom.
 
Hi Tom, but in reality welded No 5 rings are very very rare. I've seen a couple on 23's but I've not seen evidence of one ' out of the ground' yet.

John
 
Snufkin said:
Ring pulls…

From D.G.M.D./R/59:
Rings of safety pins for the Nos. 5 and 19 grenades to be made of steel wire with a welded joint, as alternative to the present split ring. C.I.W. design 3092.
Date of approval 25.4.16


G & M Ltd…

Glover and Main did indeed make No.36 in WWII. A good chance of the above mentioned item coming from contract G/5364, placed July 1940 for 400,000.




Tom.
Click to expand...

Absolutely Amazing info! Thanks. never expected to get the contact number, so apart from my example there is another 399 999!.
On Dave Sampsons site there is one pictured, but there it is attributed to Glover & Mail Ltd, A small mistake on Dave's part i think, on what is a truly great site. Long may the site stay open. (any thought to helping financialy to renew the licence when it expires next year, if Dave is not back with us of course ?
So I did a tad more research on G&M.. Phoenix Works Edmonton, London... and Phoenix Works Camelon Falkirk Scotland. Quite amazed they built anything at all when you think of there location in London, this general area was bombed during the Blitz, they built gas ovens and appliances before and after the war, at one time being the bigest company in this area in the country.
A new factory was built on the Edmonton site in 1951 and production continued until taken over by Thorn Electrical Industries in 1965. This site was closed down in 1983, and the Gothic works London were demolished in the late 1990's, site is now a Tesco superstore and an Ikea.
The Falkirk site was the original site of R Main until amalgamated with the Glover concern, the Falkirk site closed in 1965.
Asks another question to me this.. "What factory built the grenades ??" considering the Falkirk factory was next door to Falkirk Iron Company, another known maker of Mills grenades No5 and 23, (I have a 23 in my collection with a mismatched base plug, but body is marked " F.I.Co.")

One item of note, Thomas Glover the founder, was the inventor of the gas meter, and the design was patented in 1843.
All this information because of researching 3 letters on a grenade...
There is probably a story like this for every manufacturer of the Mills bomb in all Mks and models.. Part of the reason I love them so much. :tinysmile_twink_t:
 
Last edited:
You've touched on a common theme here. Many of the Mills manufacturers made cast iron domestic or industrial castings, some such as Perfecta on a very large scale for the shipping industry. Others like Parkinson Stove Company (did they become Parkinson Cowan?) did so through WW2 and beyond.

John
 
Guys,
a top thread I must say! I have found all this most illuminating and it shows yet again that the level of co-operation and attention to fine detail is typical of BOCN contributors and is what makes the forum so useful, informative and compelling.
Cheers, Bannerman
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top