No. 36 Mills Bomb JP&S Ltd, need help please

[Falldead]

Hi! New member here and first grenade post

Here's a Mills Bomb I picked that's left me with a bunch of questions. Some observations:

Body is marked JP&S Ltd with a mold number of 5 under the lever.

The lever is marked JP&S Ltd and is a bit smaller and shorter than what I've seen. Maker variation?

The entire grenade (except for the base plug) has the been coated in the "Mesopotamian" varnish, including the top of the striker. The coating appears to be original and the only finish every applied. I don't see any evidence of any other previous finish. The finish is even under the lever. Were Mills grenades meant to be totally covered?

It looks like someone tried to unscrew the filler screw to inert the grenade, but it wouldn't budge because of the varnish.

Instead, the grenade was unloaded by having three holes drilled in the bottom of the center piece (the body has NOT been drilled).

The base plug is marked to Kenrick and Sons. Switched at some point I take it?

It never had the green stripe or red XXX's painted on it. Why?

So what have I got here?

Many thanks!

Erich

 

[BMG50]

I have a original JP&S mills with original markings haven't got a marked so lever. Levers i assume were not varnished or shellacked, either parked or tinned.

 

[Darrol]

Looks to me like a total refurbished mills.
The varnish is over top of a pitted filler plug and the pullring on the pin is modern and wrong size and style .the striker is pitted but lever isn't .and the base plug is in remarkable condition .and nice mills but very doubtful it's original finish.
Cheers .Darrol

 

[Millsman]

BMG50

Hope this helps.

Here's a photo of 12 Mills 36 levers from 1940. These came from one of two boxes (dealt with by EOD) that were discovered in a house in Kent. The original owner, a Lt Colonel in the Army had been prepared to defend his house to the last in the event of an invasion. After he died his widow found his .38 Webley, two boxes of Mills 36 dated 1940 and a large quantity of explosives in the cellar of the house, under a couple of army blankets. He was regular army and not HG or HG Aux.

These grenades had been boxed and kept in the dark for over 60 years so the condition and paint is basically as they left the factory. All are marked ICL.

It's clear to me that not much care was taken in producing cosmetically 'nice' levers. They were there to do a job, not look good. A green paint 'band' is visible but not heavily applied.

John

 

[BMG50]

Nice to see originally in how things were manufactured, it's only 70 years ago and the finishing and painting process is just about forgotten. Collectors forget that girls women day after day had to turn out hundreds if not thousands a day bombs etc for the war effort, I don't think they would give a monkeys toss how it looked as long as it could be read or identified. There is such a variation in the standard and uniformity of marking that I have seen on original rounds, that why I chuckle when people use masking tape to form neat bands etc. The wonky the better.

 

[BMG50]

Thanks for the picture.

BMG50

Hope this helps.

Here's a photo of 12 Mills 36 levers from 1940. These came from one of two boxes (dealt with by EOD) that were discovered in a house in Kent. The original owner, a Lt Colonel in the Army had been prepared to defend his house to the last in the event of an invasion. After he died his widow found his .38 Webley, two boxes of Mills 36 dated 1940 and a large quantity of explosives in the cellar of the house, under a couple of army blankets. He was regular army and not HG or HG Aux.

These grenades had been boxed and kept in the dark for over 60 years so the condition and paint is basically as they left the factory. All are marked ICL.

It's clear to me that not much care was taken in producing cosmetically 'nice' levers. They were there to do a job, not look good. A green paint 'band' is visible but not heavily applied.

John


View attachment 127936

 

[Millsman]

I think many of the levers and whole grenades we see, and indeed the many of the 36's in the collectors market were probably taken off the production line and are therefore possibly better than those that went into service. The post war Mills levers and the Canadian ChatCo are the best quality.

The levers in my picture have all sorts of marks on them. A couple have shellac dribbles, where they have been splashed on the production line.

I think Falldead's grenade has been made up from available parts but it's good that he has a matching lever and body. A better filler screw and a correct ring would give him a good example.

John