Cigarette Lighter Grenade

[Brian Keith]

This “Grenade, Hand, Fragmentation, Mk. II” was a live hand grenade, inerted and made into a souvenir cigarette lighter. The top of the fuze lifts off revealing the cigarette lighter. It might be a Mk. II A1, info seems a bit confusing.

The fuze is an M10A2 made by the Eastman Kodak company during WWII. This type of fuze was used on the fragmentation and practice grenades.

The grenade body is marked with an “N” by the maker. A reference I found indicated the “N” marked were from WW I era Mk.II grenades, but this has a solid bottom, so who knows! Originally painted the ordnance yellow indicating high explosives, it was repainted green early in WW II as camouflage, leaving only a thin yellow stripe at the top. It has a solid bottom; the threaded top has been reamed out to accept the commercially made lighter body. The threaded screw of the fuze was removed and a hole drilled in the bottom to cover the lighter body. 

Something like this would have been a popular, functional souvenir and still looks like a “live” grenade. No doubt much to the amusement of the original owner.

This souvenir was a flea market find over 30 years ago and no information is known about the original owner. Not bad for $5!

Thanks for looking.

BKW

[bbmilitaria]

Excellent lighter. Keep 'em coming Keith!

[Brian Keith]

Thanks bbmilitaria! I appreciate your comments on my grenade threads!

Best Regards,

BKW

[Dirt Detective]

Great looking lighter.  Have the threads been altered to fit the burner?

[268th C.A.]

That's a keeper! Great find! 

[Brian Keith]

24 minutes ago, Dirt Detective said:

Great looking lighter.  Have the threads been altered to fit the burner?

Yes, as I said in the description "...the threaded top has been reamed out to accept the commercially made lighter body."

Thanks for everyone's comments!
BKW