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!

Experimental British L2 Grenade

paul the grenade

Well-Known Member
Hi all, sorry for not posting anything for ages.
I managed to get this experimental L2 grenade recently.
It has done away with the tin plate casing and has just a swaged frag coil for a body. All i know is they were developed at R.O.F Patricroft.
If anyone has any more info it would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers, Paul.
 

Attachments

  • ex l2.jpg
    ex l2.jpg
    43.7 KB · Views: 84
  • ex l2 1.jpg
    ex l2 1.jpg
    34.4 KB · Views: 60
  • ex l2 2.jpg
    ex l2 2.jpg
    45 KB · Views: 53
  • ex l2 3.jpg
    ex l2 3.jpg
    43.5 KB · Views: 51
  • ex l2 4.jpg
    ex l2 4.jpg
    31.1 KB · Views: 47
  • ex l2 5.jpg
    ex l2 5.jpg
    38.9 KB · Views: 44
Very nice Paul. I have seen one of those hand made bodies before but it was unpainted.
 
Bonnex has come up trumps with a positive ID on this Experimental L2. Thank you Norman.
 

Attachments

  • wwg 1.jpg
    wwg 1.jpg
    298.6 KB · Views: 67
  • wwg 2.jpg
    wwg 2.jpg
    288.3 KB · Views: 57
I can only assume the WWGs were more expensive to make!
John,
I am sure you are right about the relative costs. The swaging operation was an additional procedure on the coil and there would have been additional quality checks. On the plus side there is a saving on the enclosures and it results in a grenade with an enhanced performance. Interestingly the 'enhanced performance' characteristic would feature in the next Operational Requirement for an anti-personnel grenade to supersede the L2. By this time the Patricroft Wire Wound Grenade was history, joining the ranks of munitions ahead of their time. I wonder what a comparison of the Patricroft WWG with the Swiss Munitions HG85 (the grenade selected to replace the L2) would deliver.

I was in contact with the engineers at Patricroft when the WWG was still in development and can say that the reason for the termination of the programme was the announcement of the closure of Patricroft. It was at this time that they told me that the last British production for the MoD of the No 36 Grenade was November 1972.
 
Top