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Help Please - Unusual 5.25 Inch Naval Headstamp

GilesR

New Member
Hello All,

This rather battered 5.25 inch case popped up on a recent archaeological project. Hopefully going to a museum after conservation. Can anyone help with interpreting the headstamp?

Sorry for the poor pictures. Markings are:

5.25 In II

ICI
S
P2 (circled)

N 1940

Lot 48
PW (circled)

--
No 17
II N
EW (square)
PL 1940 45
W. 8/40

I've not seen "PW" after a lot no. before?

Is there anyway to determine if it came off a King George V class battleship or a Dido Class cruiser?

Thanks
 

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5.25 Inch Mk II case,

ICI S - ICI, Swansea, manufacturer.
P2 (circled) - examiner's mark.

N - Naval store
1940 - Date of manufacture

Lot 48
PW (circled) - examiner's mark.

Primer -
No 17, Mark II,
N - Naval store
EW (square) - Normally initials within a square denote a repair facility. However, the primer is devoid of any examiner's mark so I would suggest this is an examiner's mark. It is interesting that both case and primer appear to be missing NOID (Naval Ordnance Inspection Department) stamps, which generally, for this period, take the form of a small hexagon with a letter or number therein.

PL - Plessey, manufacturer.
1940 - year of manufacture.

45 - Although this appears to be with PL & 1940, I suspect this is the filling lot number, which is far more important than the empty Lot number.

W. - Woolwich - filling station.
8/40 - Month and year of filling.

For useage see - http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_525-50_mk1.php

TimG
 
Thank you Tim, that’s really valuable info.

Presumably the case would have been examined after manufacture in Swansea (acquiring the ‘P2’ mark). Would it have acquired the empty lot number and second examiners mark (‘PW’) at a depot, the filling station, or somewhere else?

Again just to confirm, the primer would have been examined after leaving Plessey (‘EW’) and acquired the lot number (45) at Woolwich when it was filled in Aug 1940?

Presumably there was no further marks added when it arrived on board ship?
 
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