What's new
British Ordnance Collectors Network

Join over 14,000 collectors of inert military ordnance. Get expert identification help for shells, fuzes, grenades, and more — plus access our classifieds marketplace and decades of archived knowledge. Free to register, takes seconds.

No. 5 Mills by Messenger & Sons 8/15

adrian

Well-Known Member
I was given a grenade by an elderly family friend as I collect early militaria. This however is of much later than my usual area and I am not sure if I have something quite common or if it is uncommon as it would seem to be a fairly early Mills, if I am interpreting the date correctly as August 1915?

The central firing 'pin' is absent and I assume that it is inert as well is inoperable - should I be checking anything else?

Any info appreciated.
 

Attachments

  • No. 5 Mills Grenade (1).JPG
    No. 5 Mills Grenade (1).JPG
    403.4 KB · Views: 48
  • No. 5 Mills Grenade (2).JPG
    No. 5 Mills Grenade (2).JPG
    162.8 KB · Views: 39
  • No. 5 Mills Grenade (3).JPG
    No. 5 Mills Grenade (3).JPG
    256.7 KB · Views: 48
  • No. 5 Mills Grenade (4).JPG
    No. 5 Mills Grenade (4).JPG
    126.5 KB · Views: 48
I was given a grenade by an elderly family friend as I collect early militaria. This however is of much later than my usual area and I am not sure if I have something quite common or if it is uncommon as it would seem to be a fairly early Mills, if I am interpreting the date correctly as August 1915?

The central firing 'pin' is absent and I assume that it is inert as well is inoperable - should I be checking anything else?

Any info appreciated.
Nice grenade. Thomas Messenger and Sons were awarded a contract (No. 94/G/297) to make 40,000 Mills grenades on 28 June 1915. I would expect August 1915 to probably be the earliest date for them.

If you need an original striker and spring I can supply them.

PM me if you need them.
 
Top