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A Very early white painted Drill No 5 training grenade

gothica7

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
DSCN0862.jpgIDSCN0863.jpgDSCN0864.jpgDSCN0866.jpgDSCN0865.jpgDSCN0867.jpgI acquired this drill no 5 last year and it has hada good hard life training WW1 Mills bombers.Looks like the paint is original and well battered from a lot of use.Its solid cast Iron and quite heavy and its design is of a slab sided lever No 5, so could be 1915 but I suspect its from 1916 but we will never know.Even has a small pingpull which looks original which might help date it.Feels great in the hand and most certainly looks good with my other WW1 training Mills.




Andy
 
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Hi andy

I think your No 5 had a long life. I'm pretty sure that paint is the same as some WW2 training grenades I've got. It was probably repainted for home Guard use.

I put up a thread a while ago about a white training grenade I got from Belgium which is pretty undisturbed. The white had dulled down a huge amount.

http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/99692-Early-Mills-No-5-Training-Grenade?highlight=Mills

If I can photograph the WW1 paint with a WW2 white painted example side by side, I'll put up a photo.

John
 
DSCN0871.jpgHere it is with some of my other WW1 drill grenades including 2 white painted No5s. The paint dosnt show signs of an undercoat John but then we will never know, may never have been left standing in the sun and it does look well used which is what I like about these drill grenades, One of the No 5s has an extra long striker to help with easy re cocking.



Andy.
 

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Thanks for the picture Andy. I'd say the middle two looked like original WW1 paint, no doubt.

John
 
Hi Andy

Here's a photo of my 1915 No 5 trainer, and a 1944 dated example.


SSCN2245.JPG

Difference is clear to see. The WW1 paint was clearly more organic and more likely to fade. Later paint more resilient.

John
 
I see your point bud but it all depends on how its been kept, what paint was used and if its been stood in the sun. I have WW2 Drill Mills that look totally yellowed and faded and some gloss painted ones all very white and fresh looking as i gather they used whatever paint they had as long as it was white. I remember handling a No 5 white Gibbons spring that was given to the IWM in 1922, looked like new but was kept in a dark drawer and I suspect it had been there since it was presented to the museum,Just my thoughts John.


Andy.
 
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