My Mills Family

[Big Dave]

Now ive said this before ,i dont go out to collect Mills grenades but over the years ive acquired a few ,not all in great condition but they all hold a peculiar attraction
Picture 1 ,Left to right ,No 5 ,01/16 ,V.P Ltd ,Relic ,
No 23 MK 1 ,10/16 ,Falkirk ,
No 23 Mk 2 ? ,S.G.B , Relic ,
No 36 Mk 1 ,with Gas Check ,Relic,
No 36 M Mk1 ,with Gas Check, 10/17,JMD&SL ,
made into moneybox

Picture 2 ,Left to right , No36 ,M ,Mk 1 , 1943 ,TA&C
No36 ,M ,Practice , K .well used !!
No 36 , M , Mk 1 ,1966 ,EG ,
No 4 , Israeli copy of the 36
No 36 , M ,mK 1 ,Sectioned by yours truly

In between is another 23 with its launching rod ,i also forgot to include the 30 plus base plugs ,mostly for the No5 ,the drill dets ,etc
Regards Dave

 

[gothica7]

Nice collection there bud,

Looks good,

Andy

 

[paul the grenade]

excellent selection there big dave. not too sure about the green ones though. a nice coat of shelac would be better.
cheers, paul

 

[Bonnex]

Wot no segments

Dave's impressive arsenal reminded me to look out this photograph. Clearly Mr Mills didn't always get things right in his castings - one for the Dremmil I suggest.

 

[gothica7]

Oh Norman,

I want, want, want.

Andy

 

[paul the grenade]

thats a good one!:tinysmile_fatgrin_t
Whats the story behind these then Norman?
Paul.

 

[Millsman]

Wot no segments? Are they on the inside?

John

 

[Bonnex]

Patent GB 10515/1915

This was an idea by Mills to cast a grenade with integral centre piece (or at least the striker chamber of the CP). He experimented in aluminium and cast iron. It was probably too difficult a process for mass production; in any case it didn't seem to get very far beyond experimentation. The patent spec will have chapter and verse on it.

As far as I am aware there were no internal segments.

 

[SG500]

Dave's impressive arsenal reminded me to look out this photograph. Clearly Mr Mills didn't always get things right in his castings - one for the Dremmil I suggest.

Very nice, is that the filler plug in an odd place?
Don't mention Dremmils - you know what'll happen next, someone will turn one of these up at a boot sale and get to work on it!!??
Dave.

 

[pointblank0]

Is that yours? Looks great, never seen one before.

 

[Bonnex]

Mills Plain

Very nice, is that the filler plug in an odd place?
Don't mention Dremmils - you know what'll happen next, someone will turn one of these up at a boot sale and get to work on it!!??
Dave.

Dave,
The casting process required three 'equatorial' holes to support the pattern and to get the sand out. The design uses one of these holes as the filling hole, the others had to be plugged.

 

[Millsman]

This was an idea by Mills to cast a grenade with integral centre piece (or at least the striker chamber of the CP). He experimented in aluminium and cast iron. It was probably too difficult a process for mass production; in any case it didn't seem to get very far beyond experimentation. The patent spec will have chapter and verse on it.

As far as I am aware there were no internal segments.

I'm staggered this exists. I've only seen the patent drawings.

John

 

[Bonnex]

Mills - other than 5, 23 & 36

I'm staggered this exists. I've only seen the patent drawings.

John

He did a few other unusual grenades. His rifle percussion grenade was produced in the hope that it would win the No 22 business, and his 'Aerial' grenade was a remarkable contraption for anti Zep and sub work.

Here is a photo of the RPG alongside No 22s, I'll look out a photograph of the aerial grenade.

 

[Bonnex]

Mills - other than 5, 23 & 36

Herewith a photo of Mills' aerial Grenade (GB Patent 7872 of 1915). Comes as a pair joined together by a length of sash cord.

On sighting your Zeppilin connect one grenade to a spigot under one wing of your SE5A and the other grenade on a spigot under the other wing. Pull safety pins.

Take off.

Spend four hours reaching 10,000 feet and position yourself above a million gallons of hydrogen.

Pull lever, spigots will retract and the two grenades will decend gracefully to straddle the Zeppilin and explode 9 seconds after release .... OR only one spigot will retract and a 9 second fuzed grenade will dangle ten feet under your aircraft.....

Surprisingly the Aerial Grenade did not get adopted!!

 

[paul the grenade]

FANTASTIC STUFF!!!:tinysmile_shy_t:
Cheers for the pics Norman.
Paul.

 

[gothica7]

Wonderfull stuff Norman,

you can even see the base plug and lever from the Mills gren. Any idea where i can get me one of these?

Andy

 

[pointblank0]

Great! Love it!

 

[TimG]

A few more proposed Mills bombs from his original patent.

Correction, not his original, but a subsequent application.

TimG

 

[Bonnex]

Mills

A very small number (10 or 12) of the cylindrical pattern were sent to France in March 1915 (with some No 5 type grenades) [Ref Official History Military Operations].


See image at http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/album.php?albumid=116&pictureid=1017

 

[TimG]

Norman,

Did the 'rattle' versions ever make it off the drawing board?

Tim