101 MKll Fuze Steel body

[Gspragge]

Nothing unusual I guess but I picked up this example today.
(Magnet hanging off of it)

 

[ron3350]

A nice fuze. I wonder how many other 100 series fuzes were made in steel? I have an un-marked No103 in steel.

 

[TimG]

They're interesting in that they are evidence of the first attempts to conserve strategic material. In the official notes that I have on post war fuze development there are a number of references to the fact that had it not been for Canadian and US involvement we would have run out of brass early in the war. The Canadians consumed 40,000 tons of brass making artillery cases in WWI, fortunately they were not single use items. The demand for brass in North America caused the price of Zinc to triple in price. However, it was not until the 1950s we started to use other materials.

TimG

 

[MINENAZ16]

Hi,

I assume RMC is a canadian maker ?


Herewith remnants of steel 101 from the ground (not in same condition !)

 

[TimG]

RMC - Russel Motor Car Company, Canada.

TimG

 

[Gspragge]

Russel also made for the U.S. a steel bodied version of a Russian fuze they adoped in 1918, I likely posted it some years ago or what was left of it.
At least they copper plated these fuzes as an anti rust measure. Finding REJECT marked fuzes over here is not uncommon, they seemed to reject the
whole complete fuze without reusing the small bits in another body.

 

[tigbrand]

Nice fuze and not common, only seen a handful of steel 100 series fuzes in 35 years of collecting. Same as steel German 77mm cases, They rust away surprisingly.

 

[Alpini]

here are some nice pictures from the NARA which could not fit better into this thread. When looking into the bar steel stock room it seems they made quite a few of them

 

[Alpini]

Gordon may compare the lot number with these pictures (and keep his eyes open for one of the boxes )

I think the text on the boxes reads:

----------------------
A. H. HARRIS

DIRECTOR OVERSEAS TRANSPORT

FOR EXPORT MONTREAL WHARF.? (Wharfdale maybe?)
----------------------

So, who has been A.H.Harris? Could it be the box maker "A.H. Harris & Sons, Inc. - Construction Supplies", founded in 1916?

 

[Gspragge]

I would be delighted to find such a box, of course the last overseas shipping box turned up in France ~ These likely went to filling plants in the UK ordnance depots and the like.
Here is a typical rejected No 80 fuze.