British No 13 Light Pitcher Grenade

**Millsman** · 21st July 2021, 07:56 PM

DSCN8252.jpg

I've currently got a drill version, which may have an unmarked cap. Nothing seems to be showing through the paint, anyway.

**paul the grenade** · 26th July 2021, 02:36 PM

Here's my minty drill No14.

**king ratgre** · 27th June 2022, 07:06 PM

20220627_184721[2063].jpg 20220627_184732[2064].jpg 20220627_184745[2066].jpg 20220627_184757[2065].jpg

Steel body with pressed on steel cap ... Elusive No 13 light Pitcher body? What do you guys think??

**king ratgre** · 29th June 2022, 07:09 PM

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C222035

Please see attached link:

**Millsman** · 30th June 2022, 07:18 AM

It looks like a locally produced light pitcher - possibly made in Egypt rather than the UK. Possible theory?

**king ratgre** · 30th June 2022, 05:45 PM

Why not UK manufacturer?

**Millsman** · 3rd July 2022, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by Millsman

It looks like a locally produced light pitcher - possibly made in Egypt rather than the UK. Possible theory?

Yes a theory. It's not to the original design. Some grenades were locally made in Egypt, so this one is also a possible contender. There was always a shortage of grenades in Gallipoli and Egypt was the nearest place to make them.

As an aside, the IRA also made a very similar grenade to that(Below), so easy to turn up on a lathe.

IRA.jpg

**king ratgre** · 3rd July 2022, 12:10 PM

This grenade body was originally listed by seller as an improvised IRA device,but when I got it, I tried to google similar looking images. However, the only reference points I could find are the AWM image & the description & drawing on Snufkin's reply to original post.With a machine finished steel body and shrunk on steel base.....do you think my assertion that this is a No13 light body is correct regardless of country of manufacture ??

**Snufkin** · 3rd July 2022, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by king ratgre

...do you think my assertion that this is a No13 light body is correct?

It is not unreasonable.

Some dimensions would help - internal diameter, maximum external diameter and length of tube to bottom of cap. The dimensions will help to confirm that the common inner explosive container used on both the light and heavy pitchers will fit well, or not.

The body of the No.13 was not cast steel but machined drawn seamless steel tube, and could not - without a hugely unjustified effort - be machined to have the pyramidal shaped segments of the cast No.14 (which was the whole point of Sangster's patent No.5900 of 20 April 1915). The contract for 10,000 No.13 was placed with Roburite and Ammonal Ltd on 13 April 1915, and machining seamless tube and steel plate for grenades bodies was well within the company's experience - they made No.3 rifle grenades and No.12 box grenades. The company also had pressed steel plate experience of making No.8 dual cylinder grenades.

With the caveat that dimensions are not yet given, the two examples (post #13 and the AWM Gallipoli find) seem to match the sectional drawing and description quoted in post #7. It might have been expected that there would be four annular series of eight segments like the No.14, rather than four of six segments, but fewer has the benefit of less machining and still matches the drawing. (The Battye only had four rings of six segments, and even Sangster in his patent No.5900 for a cast body suggested four rings of six in the first drawing shown in the document.)