4.2 in stokes spigot help please

[spotter]

Today we dug out this spigot from a 4in stokes trench mortar.This thing is double the size of the ones we normally find ,even the cartridge is bigger.The only stampings i can find remaining on the cartridge are ELEY V..Can anyone provide any further info on this ,experimental maybe ?? as it came from a site used to trial/develop these rounds
I have photographed it next to a 3inch stokes spigot which uses the same size spigot we normally find on the 4in for comparison..
thanks for looking allan

 

[US-Subs]

We see them at some of the French recovery sites fairly often. They say they are not that uncommon in their areas. I'll see if I can find a photo.

 

[US-Subs]

Here it is. The Stokes is 4-inch, though, not 4.2.

 

[doctor]

hi
Yes it's the 4 in WW1 charging with red phosphorus
the base with initiating cartridge can be in steel or in brass
Wonderfull picture.......

 

[spotter]

first off thanks for letting me know these larger spigots are fairly common,its the first weve found this size so we didnt know,
apologies as well ... your correct it is 4in i dont know where i got 4.2 from,its been one of those days

managed to find a drawing now as well,Thanks everyone :tinysmile_fatgrin_t

 

[Burney Davis]

What pistol fuze was used in this particular stokes? Can anyone supply a cross sectional picture or the real thing.
Thanks

BD

 

[spotter]

theres a list of fuzes from the doc i got the picture from, listing them for this type of stokes as..
Time Combustion No 31
Time Combustion No 79
Time Combustion No 140
Percussion Spigot No 146
Pistol Bomb ML Trench Mortar

 

[doctor]

Hi
the picture show the "fuze" for 4 in TM Smoke
No name or N for it and just use for this type of mortar
It's fixing on the top internal cylindrical box
There is no spring, no security, no arming system
Just only a sort of striker on whitch is fixing the top cap
under the striker there is a primer on the initiating charge in central tube
4.2 in is use for WW2 GB and US Mortars

 

[spotter]

thanks doctor,,can i copy and use your photographs for work please

 

[doctor]

Sorry, a little error, there is a spring under the screwing cup Pistol (Not a fuze) around the striker and the internal end body
Name for the bomb is Bomb M.L. 4 inch Stokes Trench Mortar Light Mark 1

 

[doctor]

Hi Spotter
You can use them and tell me if you need more

 

[spotter]

thank you they will be great,can now show rest of team what to look out for

 

[US-Subs]

first off thanks for letting me know these larger spigots are fairly common,its the first weve found this size so we didnt know,
apologies as well ... your correct it is 4in i dont know where i got 4.2 from,its been one of those days

managed to find a drawing now as well,Thanks everyone :tinysmile_fatgrin_t

"Fairly common" might be a bit of a stretch - I don't have one yet.....

It's really strange how we see some ordnance types only in the UK, then see variations of the same ordnance (like the 4-inch Stokes) in countries like Belgium that they don't find in the UK or France, then variations in France that are not found in Belgium or the UK. All in one UK piece. The distribution for new developments must have been very region specific.

 

[GI Zhou]

4-inch Stokes Mortar calibre

From memory the four-inch Stokes moarat actually has a measured calibre of 107mm (4.2 inch) and the three-inch Stokes is close to 80.8mm.