Numbered piece of shrapnel? Can anyone help identify it?

[Peter Lorimer]

Found in a field outside of Spalding, Lincolnshire. I am assuming that it dates to WWII, as it is what I always expected bomb shrapnel to look like.
However in one of those lucky breaks you get occasionally, it has a stamped serial number of some sort on the side which reads №117 III.

Can anyone identify it? Is it a piece of an anti aircraft round or a practice shell of some kind? (I have no knowledge of ordnance whatsoever)

I would be absurdly grateful if anyone could give me some suggestions as to what it was.


Many thanks

Pete

 

[spotter]

Hello and welcome to bocn,,your piece is a fragment of fuze.Its from a No117 Mk3 impact fuze ,used on artillery projectiles ,commonly used with 25pdr ammunition and others
These entered service in 1925 and are still produced today in India .The link shows more on the 117 http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/cut-no117-mkiii-t19400.html?t=19400&highlight=no117+fuze

 

[Peter Lorimer]

Wow

Blimey, Thanks very much I didn't expect a response that quickly!

Now if I can further demonstrate my utter lack of knowledge in this area...

When you say artillery projectiles, does that include anti aircraft? I am just trying to work out why I would find lumps of British ordnance it in otherwise fairly rural field in England.

Thanks again though for the speedy identification and the info above, its much appreciated.

Pete

 

[spotter]

Yes projectiles do include anti aircraft but this is not an anti aircraft fuze,during ww2 many areas of what is now public land were used for training ,