Slightly odd Mills No 5 Body

[Millsman]

I've had this grenade for some time. It was bought in France. It looks a bit different to most other No 5 in that the main shoulders seem very small, the pattern of grooves around the filler screw is unlike others and the base area is quite thick. It sort of has the feel of a French made Mills but they were all centrecast I think.

Has anyone else got one like this?

John

 

[Snufkin]

John,

A bit late seeing this one. Without any other information, I'd agree that it does have the look of a French made copy of the standard longitudinally cast Mills bomb. Hoping that the centre piece does not come out, what is it made of? Obviously if it is removable then it is not necessarily original to the grenade. Are the base plug and striker different from the usual?

Most of the Mills copies identified as French do at first glance look like early transverse castings, but in fact are cast longitudinally. A transverse casting has clearly been used to make a pattern, and in order to allow the two halves of the pattern to be withdrawn from the sand-casting boxes without collapsing the edges of the sand moulds a vertical groove on either side has been sacrificed. (The French very quickly cottoned on that the extra machining of a true transverse casting was too much like hard work.) The photo below shows this.



Tom.

 

[Millsman]

Thanks for posting the photo Tom. I've never seen such castings before. The other French types I seen have been more like standard centrecasts. For my one the thickness of the casting and the type of finish hints at it being French (Millsbomber thought so).

One thinks for sure - the mystery of the Mills goes ever on!

John