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MD1 - Col Macrae

B

Bonnex

Premium/Ordnance Approved
Ordnance approved
Premium Member
As you can see I'm looking through some MD1 photographs. I thought this one of Macrae, who wrote "Winston Churchill's Toyshop" might amuse.

Left to right (all MD1 devices):
Barometric Fuze, Release Switch, Pull Switch; Dummy Sticky Grenade; three AP (No8) Switches and ten actuating bulleted blanks; ST (No 74) Grenade, M Mine (No 5), Clam Mk III, L Delay (No 9) Switch, three Pressure Switches, Beehive, No 12 Switch.
 
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he has a fine selection of ordnance in front of him. the practice no74 looks very dark. i thought they were white? any ideas on this?
cheers, paul.
 
Paul,

It was olive green with 'PRACTICE' hand painted in white on the body. I expect it predates the formal production for service use. As you say they should be white.
 
what are those things called...

Guys,

I am looking at the two items next to the cartridges, what are they called and can somebody send a schematic and an explanation on how it worked?

Mark
 
Switch No. 8 Mk 1,

Anti personnel, commonly known as a deboliker (spelling needs a bit of help)
 
Great picture!

Great picture!
Havent seen a picture of Macrae before. Thanks for posting.
Hope you will be posting more MD1 pics...

All the very best

T42
 
Spike

Norman

Are the cartridges actually "actuating blanks" or are they the wood bulleted drill rounds. I thought the service item was the steel bulleted cartridge.

Regards
TonyE
 
Spike

Tony,

They are, as I understand it (your field rather than mine and other wriggling expressions), live capped, empty cases with a wooden bullet. If they are they presumably function sufficiently to discharge the wooden bullet without harming the demonstrator (for that is what I think they were for). Herb and I discussed it once and he thought they might have been an MD1 special for their own use in promoting the device. To quote Macrae (Winston Churchill's Toyshop p59):

"...I would at first give him only the blank cartridges equipped with wooden bullets which we used for training purposes."

According to Peter Labbett there was a completely wooden drill version which of course would actuate the mechanism but I have not seen one.

The Service item was certainly as you describe.

TonyE said:
Norman

Are the cartridges actually "actuating blanks" or are they the wood bulleted drill rounds. I thought the service item was the steel bulleted cartridge.

Regards
TonyE
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