Mills 36 Crates 1944 and 1945

[Millsman]

Lucky enough to buy these boxes today. The top one was so good at first I thought it might be the best repro ever, but no it is real



The person who sold it to me said it was found in a shed in the house he lives in when he moved in 20 years ago.

With it was a second box, better marked with a little woodworm.

 

[gothica7]

Great find bud well done



Andy

 

[Snufkin]

Good to see a box that is not the usual firewood/driftwood quality. The grenades were filled at ICI Haswell and the detonators at ICI Denaby.

 

[batonroundcollector]

what were the Navy doing with Mills (I could only think that crate was so marked as grens intended for use by Royal Marines, being part of Navy)??

 

[Millsman]

what were the Navy doing with Mills (I could only think that crate was so marked as grens intended for use by Royal Marines, being part of Navy)??

I think that was the case. So Commando use - great!

 

[Infanteer]

Nice looking boxes. Somewhat different from my Canadian boxes which were left unpainted and there are stencils over stencils... very messy looking.

 

[Millsman]

The vast majority of WW2 Mills boxes were unpainted. I expect it was the Navy 'gold plating'. It was what they did in those days.

 

[havoc]

Excellent find!!!

 

[Millsman]

One of them will be for sale at Detling in a week or so.

 

[sgtlynn]

Being as for Naval Use, they might have held the grenades used in the Holman projector for AA use.

 

[Snufkin]

Being as for Naval Use, they might have held the grenades used in the Holman projector for AA use.

No.36 grenades for the Holman projector used Naval Service 3s Mk IV igniters, whereas these boxes are marked 4s Mk VII, so the grenades were probably for more traditional use.

 

[Bonnex]

This may be of interest.

 

[AE501]

It says these are for testing the projector. The Detonator Mk IV 3 sec delay is purely for naval use and uses Safety Fuze No17 and a Detonator No 45 Mk 1.

 

[gothica7]

This is my only real NO 5 Mills grenade box, came off the Somme a few years ago. Some of you may consider it driftwood and only fit for the fire which in my opinion is a bit sad as yes, its in relic condition but its nearly all there bar the ropes and includes the lid Det tin is still there no dets and its pretty corroded. Its a small piece of history which in my opinion should be preserved and not thrown on the scrap heap and turned into compost or used to start a fire as many millions of boxes once were by the Tommies at the front. It should be made to survive and I have done my best to stabilise and preserve it and not let it deteriorate any more than it has already. It was full of grens when found and these were professionally deactivated.Some of my friends still have some. Its a pretty rare bit of kit which will always be cared for. Not many of these survived from the Somme battlefield. Should always be preserved when items like this are found.




Andy

 

[Millsman]

Completely agree Andy. I've got a Somme found box with no lid, dividers or posts and a Ypres found one that is complete apart from ropes. The first one still has the original grey paint on the underside and ends. I expect most were broken up to provided heat for the morning fry ups. They were of course THERE on the battlefield rather than be regarded as a witness to history.

The Le Tommy cafe at Pozieres had one like my first one up for 300€ last year, and it sold. It was end marked Falkirk / 16

Last year I bought a load of Relic No 5 bodies from a French Farmer who had removed the base plugs and burned out the insides (as they do). He had ploughed up 50 complete filled crates in one of his fields, but the wood had mainly rotted away as had the det tins.

 

[gothica7]

I cannot understand why some people think such historic boxes as equivalent to driftwood and should be burned. To me it beggars belief. I consider my box as one of my most precious possessions . I didnt say valuable as that goes to my 5/15 Mills grenade.I would have been great if even just 1 of the boxes the farmer found had been saveable. Historic pieces to be sure.


Andy.