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1970 ROF (P) mills bomb
- Thread starter BMG50
- Start date
Depends on the source.
There was a batch that were on sale still in the sealed plastic bags from the 'War Reserve' stock (minus filler plugs) but mint that I've seen go for over £200. I've also seen others in the £125 - £150 range complete but not bagged.
John
Thy was held back incase the L2 failed all the tests...... Dave
I would have thought Dave the numbers were against that theory. You would have had to hold back many thousands for that purpose but the 'bagged' War Reserve stock was seemingly quite small. And why keep them unfilled? If the L2 failed you would need a stock ready to use.
The War Reserve stock were all 1972 dated.
John
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Nice theory John but if the L2 failed then what grenade would be used, this one would replace the L2, 1972 experimental one proves the process started again for using the mills again after 1972 but the L2 did not fail and thus these are the last of the mills.
Dave
I'm not sure if we are talking at cross purposes here.
I suspect the L2 was under test from about 1962. The L2 was introduced in 1965 so why would the Army in 1972 need to store some 1972 dated 36's 'just in case the L2 didn't work'?
How many were stored without filling in plastic bags? About 100? Not enough to equip an Army.
What was the reason for the 1970 dated Experimental grenades? 55 years of use showed the Mills worked. The only experiments i can think of would be different fillings. i.e higher charges for special purposes although this may have repeated far older experiments.
John
The X5 (the 'experimental' designation for the grenade that became the L2 Anti-Personnel) can trace its history back to 1953 when the Chief Engineer Armament Design (CEAD) enthusiastically announced that" if we select the US M26 it could be in service within a year after trials". The M26 was at that time the bees knees of HE grenades (as the HG85 would become 40 years later). The M26 had a factory fitted fuze and the Brits didn't 'do' factory fitted for this type of grenade but preferred a soldier to assemble the fuze to the body in the dark, with frozen hands, in driving rain (substitute sand-storm as you wish) and in spitting distance of the enemy. The first design of the X5 was available for trials in 1958 and there began the sorry tale of the L2. I don't think it would be exaggerating to say that the separated fuze/body combination was never entirely satisfactory. Partial detonations and premature functioning plagued the project. The L2A1 did get into service in 1965 but faults continued. There was disbelief about reports of prematures until the impression of a lever (spoon) was found on the thrower's badly damaged hand (the thrower lived which raised other questions about the grenade). There was an L2A2 and the Fuze had six or more 'marks' but, leaving aside some special procurements, it wasn't until the introduction of the HG85 that a reliable NATO standard HE Grenade was in regular British Service.
I will comment later about the No 36 but in enquiring of Patricroft about the last production of the No 36 M (which is where the November 1972 date came from originally) they told me about an experimental 'L2' which dispensed which the tin plate covers and relied on a swaged fragmentation coil to provide a weatherproof body. They were happy to send an example since they had just had the news of factory closure. So many Ordnance Factories have gone sadly.
I will comment later about the No 36 but in enquiring of Patricroft about the last production of the No 36 M (which is where the November 1972 date came from originally) they told me about an experimental 'L2' which dispensed which the tin plate covers and relied on a swaged fragmentation coil to provide a weatherproof body. They were happy to send an example since they had just had the news of factory closure. So many Ordnance Factories have gone sadly.