Drill Mills Grenade

[glevum]

I have acquired a Mills Grenade locally from a guy who got it in 1946, so I think all the bits are contemporary. The filling plug is loose and the body is unfilled. I have gently cleaned the grenade with IPA and a brass brush, follwed by a rub with an oily rag. I think it has come up nicely. It stripped very easily and was dirty with slight surface rust

Ihave attached some before and after photos.

I think the body is a No 36. It is marked with a K with 3 stars which I think is A. Kendrick & Sons West Bromwich. There are traces of white paint on the body which I think indicates drill.

There is the number 14 in the top of the lever groove and 7 at the bottom of the groove. What do these mean?

The base plug is steel and is marked No 23 and 2-1-17 I think it may be made by Elmbank in Glasgow. I can see nk and Gl on it.

The filling plug is Mazak and unmarked.

The centre tube is Mazak and has a K on it, no date.

The Gas Check is marked MGM Ltd, I or 1, and /42, so made by Metropolitan Gas Meter

Is it normal to find a 36 with 23 base plug?

Finally where can I find a correct lever and ring.

 

[Millsman]

Looks like a WW1 training grenade. After about 1925 Drill grenades has 5 holes drilled in the body. The baseplug looks like a steel No 23 Mk 1, so again WW1 (date details not great on photo). The grenade may be either 23 Mk III or a 36 Mk I. The filler plug should be brass for WW1 (though sometimes there were steel filler plugs). The number on the body are just cast marks.

The paint looks yellow and may be Belgian. They painted their drill grenades with a yellow and grey combination. Yellow on the lower part. That tends to last but the grey wears off. If the paint is original WW1 then yes it was white and that can look yellow after 100 years.

Everybody is looking for Kenrick levers! I get asked for them all the time.

John

 

[glevum]

John,

Thanks for the information.

The paint looks white in daylight. i'm not sure why it looks yellow in the pictures.

The base plug has a date of 2-1-17 over stamped upside down on the No 23 stamp so it is a bit difficult to see. it is a bit clearer in this picture.

How can you tell between No 23 Mk III and No 36 Mk I?

Will.

 

[Snufkin]

It looks like a 1940 No.36 Service grenade that has been emptied and repainted to be used as a Drill example. It happened with some unit-converted sectioned examples.

The centrepiece is a classic c1940 Mazak example, marked only with a Z. In the recess for the lever there is a trace of green paint from the filling band, and on photo Mills_10 and Mills_12 there are the tiniest specs of bright red from the red crosses that were daubed around the top ring of segments. Also remains of copal varnish of course.

The Elmbank 23I base plug, like so many base plugs on Mills-type grenades, was probably just added for no good reason than it was found lying around and fitted... long after the original Kenrick base plug was lost.



Tom.

 

[Millsman]

John,

Thanks for the information.

The paint looks white in daylight. i'm not sure why it looks yellow in the pictures.

The base plug has a date of 2-1-17 over stamped upside down on the No 23 stamp so it is a bit difficult to see. it is a bit clearer in this picture.

How can you tell between No 23 Mk III and No 36 Mk I?

Will.

Mainly the plug. The 23 Mk III was designed to be used with a rod and used the 23 Mk II style Hearn plug. The 36 used a heavy cast iron full plug in WW1. This became Mazac in WW2 as did the filler screw whic was normally marked not plain.

I'm struggling to see the paint Tom mentions in his post but maybe he has a better monitor.

I think this may be a mixture of parts. I don't know what date the gas check plate would be (yet).

John

 

[glevum]

Thanks Tom and John.

It looks like there is the remains of black paint under the white. I can see the green paint in the lever recess, but cannot see the red flecks in daylight. They may be an artifact in the photos.

The gas check is dated 1942.

 

[Snufkin]

Thanks Tom and John.

It looks like there is the remains of black paint under the white. I can see the green paint in the lever recess, but cannot see the red flecks in daylight. They may be an artifact in the photos.

The gas check is dated 1942.

It may well be my imagination, but I thought there were two specks of red, as I've marked below. The black paint is old varnish.



Tom.

 

[Millsman]

Eagle eyes Tom eagle eyes!

 

[glevum]

Tom,

You have better eyes than me. you are correct there is red paint in the two places. I was looking on the faces of the segments.

Will.