Abomb Posted May 30, 2020 Share #1 Posted May 30, 2020 Hello All, The grenade body in the photos below was picked up at a recent estate sale. Filled with lead to use as a weight it was dirty, rusty and with plaster clinging to the bottom half. I thought it was an abused and neglected WW2 model I could strip and re-paint. However, after removing the plaster bits, most rust and partially drilling out the lead fill this grenade has shown itself to be something quite different. The form of the grenade appears to be that of a 1930's MKII . It has a wider base with a 3/8" filled hole. It has 40 segments with wide grooves that extend to the top without a break. The shoulder is more square and flat than rounded. The grenade body has a worn base coat of gray paint overall . The upper part has worn and chipped brown paint extending down the first two rows of segments. Two vertical rows of segments with the mold lines are both wider and higher than the others. One base segment has a faint logo of two triangles attached point-to-point. The base plug is lead. It is stamped FEB 1919 . (the dated plug was a real surprise after removing the layer of plaster on the bottom.) The gray paint , by itself, indicated an early date, pre-1926. The date stamp confirms that and seems to imply standard features of the later WW2 era MKII were already established by early 1919 for at least this one maker. Also, one reference in a post on April 7, 2018 (hirsca) in this forum states that the color " brown- indicates a low explosive filler- normally a brown band around the item" . So, this grenade will not get re-painted. It will be left as it is. Much info used here came from inert-ord.net and tgrm.foxed.ca (American Grenades) as well as forum postings. (Thanks) Photos : As found, before cleanup lead-filled fuze hole date stamp on lead plug & logo lower left after rust and plaster removed. Another view Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lsparks Posted May 30, 2020 Share #2 Posted May 30, 2020 Nice score!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirt Detective Posted May 30, 2020 Share #3 Posted May 30, 2020 Very interesting..I have never seen a dated lead plug. Thanks for posting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmd62 Posted May 30, 2020 Share #4 Posted May 30, 2020 Very nice, thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
917601 Posted May 30, 2020 Share #5 Posted May 30, 2020 Very interesting piece. I can say it is puzzling as it has a MK 2 body. Late WW1 had fewer segments, different plug end design. I agree you have a late 1930 MK2 with a surplus WW1 era plug. Here is a late WW1 / post WW 1 from my collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persian Gulf Command Posted May 30, 2020 Share #6 Posted May 30, 2020 Very nice and interesting. As stated the dated plug is (may be) unique. It seems that there are enough of us on this Forum, with an interest in grenades, that we are continuously adding to the knowledge of these iconic items of ordnance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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