Need ID of Mills Varient

[ordnance]

I had the opportunity to photograph this Mills type body in a friend's collection a few months ago and thought I should eventually come here to the fountain of all Mills knowledge and identify it. So what is known about this type? Thanks for any info.

Rick

 

[paul the grenade]

Now that is a strange one!:tinysmile_eyebrow_t
dont know what it is though.
paul.

 

[gothica7]

Most strange, never seen anything like it either. Whats it look like inside when you have unscrewed the base plug?

Andy

 

[TimG]

It would appear the function of the lugs top and bottom are for connecting it to something else.

Mills had a patent for an anti-aircraft (airship), anti-submarine weapon. This consisted of two spherical bombs (using his lever operation) connected together by a length of rope. The bombs would be affixed to the underside of an aircraft wing (roughly wing tip to wing tip). The attacking aircraft would then fly above and in line with its target and release the bombs. Once released the levers would fly off and the mechanism would operate in the normal way. Hopefully, the bombs would straddle the target and would be held in place for sufficient time by the rope until they detonated.

Something this size would be of little or no effect against a submarine but against airships or ballons would cause considerable damage.

Just a thought.

Tim. G.

 

[ordnance]

Whats it look like inside when you have unscrewed the base plug?

Andy

Andy,

Sorry, I didn't have time for a detailed inspection at the time I photographed it and he lives about 1000 miles from me. He also doesn't own a computer or digital camera so I'm afraid the 3 images are all we have to go on until I visit again next year.

 

[gothica7]

Andy,

Sorry, I didn't have time for a detailed inspection at the time I photographed it and he lives about 1000 miles from me. He also doesn't own a computer or digital camera so I'm afraid the 3 images are all we have to go on until I visit again next year.

Hi bud,

well, we will all look forward to more from you when you visit your mate again, it certainly looks something special. Do let me know if he is interested in selling it. Mind you, i reccon there will be a queue.

Best wishes

Andy

 

[Bonnex]

Chamier Percussion Grenade

It is a Chamier Percussion Grenade dating from 1916. Yours is the final version (there were two others). It was submitted (by Craig & Co) to the British Munitions Design Committee to satisfy the requirement for a reliable percussion grenade.

The mechanism is interesting but rather complicated to manufacture and inspect and these were just two of several reasons why it came in the 'no further action' category.

It was patented GB125100. You can look this up in the European Patents website.

 

[Bonnex]

Mills Aerial Grenade

Re TimG's message

...and if in pulling the lever only one grenade released you had 3-lb bomb swinging 20-feet below your SE5A stringbag (but you did have 9-seconds to think about as it had a longer fuze timing that the regular Mills) :tinysmile_shy_t:

Although I suppose you wouldn't actually know it had not released which is a bit of a blessing.

 

[ordnance]

Bonnex,

Thanks for the great information on this grenade. Although I could not find an illustration in the patent drawings that was exactly like the grenade in question, it sure appears to be in the same family with the large upper hole to accomodate the impact fuze mechanism.

Do you have any additional information regarding the lower pivot point casting on the body? I'm guessing there might have been overlapping safety levers, one pivoting from the bottom and one from the top, and both under tension from the spring pressure of the fuze mechanism pushing upward. Correct? Thanks again.

 

[dano1917]

grenade

During WW1 I think grenades evolved far more than in any other period of time. The patents applied for from 1914-1918 could boggle the mind. WW1 has been called the 2nd coming of the Industrial Revolution by way more than one source. Aint it cool! Dano

 

[TimG]

Ordnance,

Try patent GB125436A

Regards

Tim.G.

 

[Bonnex]

Chamier Grenade

Yes, that is right there are two levers although only the first lever is weighted and falls away presumably to give a slight delay to arming and the second lever, pivoted about the lower fulcrum, releases under pressure from the fuze.

Here is a picture of the levers, hope it is good enough for purposes.

Bonnex,

Thanks for the great information on this grenade. Although I could not find an illustration in the patent drawings that was exactly like the grenade in question, it sure appears to be in the same family with the large upper hole to accomodate the impact fuze mechanism.

Do you have any additional information regarding the lower pivot point casting on the body? I'm guessing there might have been overlapping safety levers, one pivoting from the bottom and one from the top, and both under tension from the spring pressure of the fuze mechanism pushing upward. Correct? Thanks again.

 

[Bonnex]

Chamier

Sorry that should have read 'upper fulcrum' and 'your purposes'. More haste less speed as they say.

 

[paul the grenade]

Heres a patent for it with illustrations of the inner mechanism.
Paul.
http://www.google.com/patents?id=exc_AAAAEBAJ&dq=Chamier&rview=1