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Maker's monogram N.C.F. on WW2 3.7 IN HE AA shell?

Darkman

Well-Known Member
I picked up this 3.7inch HE AA shell today.

Does anyone know who the maker N.C.F. is?

Could be Canadian as there is a broad-arrow within a C.

Full markings on the projectile appear to be:

3.7 G
IC
N.C.F.
LCI . 7 95
8/40

3.7 inch Gun (G to denote gun rather than Howitzer)
Mk 1C projectile
Maker N.C.F.
Not sure on the next line
August 1940

Thanks, Graeme
 

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Graeme,

If it weren't for the "C" I'd definitely say New Crown Forgings, Ltd. Swansea. NCF were a subsidiary of Stewart and Lloyd Ltd specifically started just prior to the war for munitions and other war work - they had about twenty plus sites throughout the UK.

We still hadn't recovered from our losses at Dunkirk in Aug '40, so I can't see it having been made for the Canadians, who were actually working to full capacity to help us replace our losses and more.

I have no Canadian listings for NCF.

TimG
 
Thanks Tim,

The most logical and obvious answers are usually correct.
If you have no Canadian manufacturers listed as NCF, and I am fairly sure it's not Australian, then in all likelihood New Crown Forgings Ltd is the maker.

I'm not certain the broad-arrow in the C is a Canadian ownership/manufacture/acceptance mark, as with other similar stamps I have seen the C has serifs (stylised end caps), whereas this one is little more than a half circle.

And even though Canada may have been producing its own shells at the time, it could still have been made in the UK and accepted into Canada.

Graeme
 
Hello everybody.
That has perhaps no connextion with your shell, but it exists a maker NCF during WW1. More exactly NCF and WF below. He is a very rare maker of 18PrII cases.
I have only two cases from him: one dated 1917 lot 29 and one dated 1918 lot 89. (pic 1).It seems to me that he is a british maker. Perhaps TimG will tell us more about him.
The idea that the shell has been produced in UK and delivered to the canadian Army is not to move aside, because I have 2 cases of 4.5IN MkI made by VSM in 1913 with canadian acceptance mark in 1914. (pic 2).
Regards,
Dandebur1.jpg2.jpg
 
Hello everybody.
I don't know if NCF WF, in WW1, is the same maker, or a subsidiary, than NCF in WW2. If it is not the same, it is a very big coincidence. My knowledges are only based on what I have in collection or on what I have seen. I have no official documents or something else.
Regards,
Dandebur.
 
Whilst I have no listing for “NCF/WF” I believe it to be the monogram of National Cartridge Factory, Waterford, Ireland.

The factory was established in 1916 at Bilberry, the site of the Waterford South Railway Terminus which had closed in January 1908 and was being used as a store.

At the time of the Armistice this factory was manufacturing 18 pr cartridge cases at the rate of 25,000 per week; the lowest cost of manufacture which had been attained was 7/6d. per case, while the contract price allowed by the Ministry of Munitions was 8/-.

From its inception to its closure on 14th December 1918 the factory produced 246,637 18 pr cases at a cost of 99,604

After the Armistice the production line equipment was put up for sale and purchased by the Australian Government at scrap price. The production line was then set up at Footscray in Melbourne as a dedicated cartridge case factory. The first batch of cases was made in 1927.

TimG
 
Darkman,

I think I've got to the bottom of this, if you've still got the projectile, can you look at the base and see if it is marked 'F S'?

TimG
 
Sorry Tim,

I saw this reply then got distracted and forgot about it.

Little bit of rust pitting, but as far as I can tell there's absolutely nothing stamped on the base of the shell. No F S stamped on it anywhere else either.

Graeme
 
Graeme,

I believe it to be an oval, not a "C" this would make it a "Material Transfer Stamp"

To quote from a 1943 publication -

"When material is cut into lengths for forging or machining the transfer stamp, (pheon within an oval), is applied to each piece, and is to be re-stamped through subsequent production stages. For this purpose shop inspection must be energetically pursued..."

TimG
 
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