3.7" AA shell - Australian or South African made?

[Darkman]

This 3.7" AA shell is currently up for auction here in Australia.

As it's located in Australia and stamped "BHP" (a large Australian steel supplier), I initially thought it was Australian.
But now I'm not so sure. It appears to be stamped with a broad arrow inside a "J" or possibly a "U" - Union of South Africa?

It's dated 20.1.41 and the maker appears to be "S&? E". (If I had to guess I'd say S&C E.)

In early 1941 the only manufacturers of large calibre projectiles in Australia would be government munitions factories, and the only one making 3.7" shells would have been Maribyrnong Ordnance factory (MO monogram). It has no MO stamp and I have no clue who S&? E is.

So I'm stumped with the maker and country of this shell. Any ideas?

Cheers, Graeme

 

[Darkman]

Bigger photo

 

[Dronic69]

Graeme,

Not a 3.7" but have a WW2 18pr HE with the following for comparison:

BHP P3080
MO
18 Pr
IC
MOC
I04
8-40


Has a Broad Arrow in a circle on the opposite side - rest is missing as it has been sectioned.

Have posted photos of it prior - complete with a matching No117 Mk III sectioned fuze.

So did BHP supplied the steel projectile (or billet) and completed/assembled at the Maribyrnong Factory?
Cheers
Drew

 

[Snufkin]

The 3.7-in is certainly South African, made by Stewarts and Lloyds of SA Ltd.

I recently popped into the National Archives in Pretoria to get some grenade production stuff, and found a wealth of information on shell production from 1940 in the Union. The main manufacturer of empty 3.7-in AA shell was Stewarts and Lloyds, with a small amount initially made by the Lion Match Co., Durban.

The attached is an excerpt from progress report for the four weeks to 31 August 1940, indicating the start of shell production in SA.




Tom.

 

[Bever]

Graeme,

Not a 3.7" but have a WW2 18pr HE with the following for comparison:

BHP P3080
MO
18 Pr
IC
MOC
I04
8-40


Has a Broad Arrow in a circle on the opposite side - rest is missing as it has been sectioned.

Have posted photos of it prior - complete with a matching No117 Mk III sectioned fuze.

So did BHP supplied the steel projectile (or billet) and completed/assembled at the Maribyrnong Factory?
Cheers
Drew

Yes, that is correct. According to sources these were fired with a catapult.

 

[Dronic69]

Yes, that is correct. According to sources these were fired with a catapult.

Sorry - I don't quite get the "fired with a catapult" bit?

{Images of a wooden structure back in the medieval days.................... }

 

[Darkman]

Thanks Tom. Makes sense with the broad arrow in the U, "S&?"stamp and the early production date. A shell this early could only have been made at MO (Maribyrnong Ordnance factory) in Australia. BHP must have had an iron ore mine in South Africa, which is highly possible as they were, and still are, a large global company.

Hi Drew! Yes, I've seen a photo of your sectioned 18 pdr streamlined HE shell before. I have an almost identical one made by MO but dated late 1939. BHP supplied the steel billet, but the shells were entirely made at MO.

Cheers, Graeme