No69 Grenade

[spotter]

The No69 Grenade entered service in Dec 1940
The body is made of bakelite ,which creates a percussion/blast effect rather than fragmentation.A cast iron jacket was developed but saw little if any use
Markings:Red filling ring,green band and/or lettering to indicate filling type

 

[spotter]

Recently got this nice 69 ,I havnt dismantled the fuze in the photos as the tape and internals are a bit fragile,,,this is has lots of moulded numbers both inside and out.base is marked N069. I DLR-40. DLR is the manufacturer De La Rue of London 40 is the date 1940

 

[spotter]

close up of the various number mouldings found inside and outside the grenade

 

[spotter]

last image

 

[Tarnish]

This is also posted in the new members section, reposted here so as it won't be missed by anyone with the appropriate knowledge, thanks:-

"Hi all, new forum member here. I found the site after doing a search for info on No69 grenades after having found and bought a pair for sale in an antiques market in Hay on Wye on Tuesday. They had been modified into salt and pepper shakers! I got the pair for 24 and I intend to fill in the holes that had been drilled in the caps and repaint the markings too. Both are DLR 1940 dated. If anyone is aware of how to obtain base plugs, closing caps or the weighted tapes I'd be most interested or indeed any suggestions for creating good look-a-likes to test my creative skills. Oh and is it known what type of adhesive tape was used to secure the safety cap too?"

 

[roller63]

Hi Tarnish, No 69 grenades and parts are not hard to find, they are often for sale on specialist auctions.com and parts still on ebay. An original tape and weight may be harder to obtain but quite easy to make for your purpose. I have at least one example with some adhesive tape left on it, its a fabric tape not unlike old fashioned sticky plasters, but not pink ! if you need any more info, ask away ! Tony.

 

[Tarnish]

Thanks Tony, that's much appreciated. I must admit I was under the impression that No69s were not that common anymore having never seen one in nearly seven years of WW2 reenacting. Good to know the parts are out there.

 

[Falcon]

Did the No. 69 Grenade rely on blast effect only? There doesn't appear to be anything that would cause a frag effect.

 

[Infanteer]

Did the No. 69 Grenade rely on blast effect only? There doesn't appear to be anything that would cause a frag effect.

That's correct, blast only. Read the first post of this thread.

 

[roller63]

When these grenades were originally issued, they were described as suitable for use in excersizes, but after a few nasty incidents this information was later changed in the training pamphlets. One of the main causes of injury from these grenades was the lead ball from the fuse assembly which could travel some distance from the blast in any direction.

 

[Tarnish]

As promised here's a few pictures from before I started work on them. You can clearly see the holes drilled in the caps to allow salt/pepper to flow.