New Mills No23 Mk2

[paul the grenade]

Heres a nice original mills i got the other day. It has traces of its original paint and what looks like a sealing compound around the filler plug Its a bit strange as theres traces of red around the top but lots of off white in the grooves. Maybe a live gren that was converted to a practice at a later date? The base plug has a letter P stamped on the back and the centrepiece is unusual as it has 2 lugs for tightening it up. There is a small hole opposite the det well where its been deactivated. Im a bit puzzled by this one but its the nicest one ive bought in a very long while.
Cheers, Paul.

 

[gothica7]

Nice looking gren Paul, great find.

Looks like it possibly either once was a live gren or got almost through to the filling process before being rejected and then converted to a drill gren by being painted white. However, the deactivation hole seem to imply it actually was once live.
Very interesting.
Are you going to keep it as is or restore it?

Andy

 

[paul the grenade]

Hi Andy.
I'll leave it as it is. Its much too nice to do anything too. Have you ever seen that type of centrepiece before?
Paul.

 

[millsbomber]

I'v got 3 differed types of lead center tubes as pictures Paul..... Dave

 

[siegfreid]

Paul. The extra hole in the centre tube is usually associated with some French "diggers" from years ago . This was their favoured way of deactivation on dug Mills grenades . After drilling they would burn the grenade in a fire to melt out & incinerate the contents . This may also explain the "white" paint . It may be oxidised shellac from the heat .
Mike

 

[gothica7]

Nice pics of the centre tubes Dave, i also have a few of the lead ones and they are all different to yours so there must have been a lot of types made.

Not too sure this one would have been burned in a fire as ime sure the centre tube would have melted for sure unless its a later addition. Does the tube look like its been there a while Paul?

Andy

 

[paul the grenade]

Hi Andy.
It doesnt have any signs of being in a fire and the centrepiece is stuck soild and looks to be original to the gren. I didn't realise it was lead. I'll leave it be so as not to damage it
cheers, paul.

 

[millsbomber]

Nice pics of the centre tubes Dave, i also have a few of the lead ones and they are all different to yours so there must have been a lot of types made.

Not too sure this one would have been burned in a fire as ime sure the centre tube would have melted for sure unless its a later addition. Does the tube look like its been there a while Paul?

Andy

I'v got some more Andy but there in the grenades, i'm suprised pauls example is a No23 as i have always thought these lead center tubes were in the early No5s but im not saying its wrong,,,,, Dave

 

[gothica7]

I just wonder Dave, it they were produced in late 1916 when there was a brass shortage leading into 1917 as there were a few plugs made then in lead antimony alloy.

Probably best left as is Paul, i think you may need a special tool to get it out anyway without buggering it competely and that would be a shame.
I have left the one in on my Allen West No 5, which is brass, for fear of doing the same.

As i said before, a nice find as an example of a No 23 with a lead tube, probably quite rare too.

Andy

 

[Millsman]

Nice interesting grenade Paul. I've not seen that type of centrepiece before. I always think the red paint they used looks like the old Red Lead primer we used to use on cars. I wonder if it was the same?

John