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Mills Grenade Wooden Detonator box

roller63

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
I just got this wooden box today. It's marked up for detonators for No.36 M Mills Grenades. I think it might be Naval as it is marked N1 in two places. It measures 13" x 9.25" x 4.75" Painted brown, mostly marked in yellow, with some markings in red.
I wonder if someone can tell me how many dets were actually in the box, and in what size and shape tins or boxes ? It looks like it had 6 partitions originally. It has been re used and over-painted and re-marked. Hopefully the pics help, it looks better in the flesh. I don't think I have seen such a small box with so many markings, and there is no lid.SAM_0005.JPGSAM_0006.JPGSAM_0007.JPGSAM_0008.JPGSAM_0009.JPGSAM_0010.JPG The markings are : -

24 (Tins ?)
Detonators
Grenade
No 36 M Mk 3
7 Seconds Delay
FLD ICI/W 2,55
LOT 5
REPKD PH(B) ? (worn) 5 56
PJ No 12
FRACTION (in red)
NA (in red)
N 1
E.S.A Ltd (Broad Arrow) 1946
Detonators with care (in red)
NA (in red)
TT (in red and broken red rectangle)
LL 028
 
24 dets to that box, so 4 dets per section I think I might have one of the single packs some where give me a while to dig it out........ Dave
 
I don't think the N1 in white denotes a Naval box. I would expect it to be stamped int one of the ends or the base. There is an unusual stamping in the 2nd picture, 1946 in the bottom board on the side, I can't read what the other stamping is though. There seems to be something in the base picture 5, can you make out what it says?
 
I don't think the N1 in white denotes a Naval box. I would expect it to be stamped int one of the ends or the base. There is an unusual stamping in the 2nd picture, 1946 in the bottom board on the side, I can't read what the other stamping is though. There seems to be something in the base picture 5, can you make out what it says?

Thanks for your interest. N 1 is lightly stamped on both ends, and has been painted over in white. The stamping on the side of the base reads :- E.S.A Ltd (Broad Arrow) 1946 I cant make out any markings on the base itself, I will have a look in daylight later. Thanks, Tony.
 
FLD ICI/W - Filled ICI - Westquarter (Falkirk, Scotland.)
REPKD PH(B) - Repacked RNAD Priddy's Hard, Gosport, Hants (The suspect B is almost cetainly a small, in comparison, capital D)
ESA Ltd - The box manufacturer, I've no listing for them
No idea about the 'TT' etc.

TimG
 
FLD ICI/W - Filled ICI - Westquarter (Falkirk, Scotland.)
REPKD PH(B) - Repacked RNAD Priddy's Hard, Gosport, Hants (The suspect B is almost cetainly a small, in comparison, capital D)
ESA Ltd - The box manufacturer, I've no listing for them
No idea about the 'TT' etc.

TimG

Thanks Tim, that's great. It pretty much confirms the Naval connection with Priddy's Hard, which is nice. I'm sure I have seen the 'TT' symbol somewhere, but I cant remember where at the moment. Thanks, Tony.
 
According to Inter Service Ammunition and Ammunition Package markings 1947, NA in red "Denotes Naval Armament Explosive Filled Store" so with that and the N 1 marking and the Priddy's Hard connection, I think it's safe to say it's a Naval issue box.
From the same publication, 'TT' in red, in a broken red rectangle denotes a "tropicalized package"
 
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