INERT DEACTIVATED. RARE, Early WW1, British Number 1, Mark III Hand Grenade. Sn 20653 INERT DEACTIVATED. RARE, Early WW1, British Number 1, Mark III Hand Grenade. Sn 20653 Other Ammunition

INERT DEACTIVATED. This is a rare British Mark III, Number 1 hand grenade that was in use at the start of World War 1. The Grenade, Hand, No. 1 was the first British hand grenade used in World War I and was designed by Martin Hales at the Royal Laboratories in 1908. The grenade was based on reports and samples of Japanese hand grenades during the Russo-Japanese War provided by General Sir Aylmer Haldane, who was a British observer of that war. The number 1 hand grenade had a brass cylinder body mounted onto a wooden block and had a 21.75” beech wood handle attached that enabled it to be thrown at a target. Due to the long stick, there were many fatalities in throwing this hand grenade in the confines of a trench, with the nose of the grenade striking the rear of the trench causing the grenade to explode next to the thrower. This was partly resolved by shortening the throwing stick with the mark III being approved in May 1915. The grenade weighed 2 lb and had an impact-detonated nose percussion fuse with a safety pin and removable brass safety cap at the nose. This nose cap has been simplified in manufacture by having a flat surface as opposed to a profiled surface. When thrown, the grenade had a cloth streamer that enables it to stabilise during flight and land nose down to detonate on the target. This is a complete, Mark I, Number III hand grenade with the shorter handle and cloth streamer. The streamer on the mark III was attached to the wooden block under the brass body by nails as opposed to the base of the throwing stick on the mark I. The body retains some of its original red painted ring signifying an explosive filling and is complete with the correct steel wire belt hook and fragmentation ring. The firing cap covering the fuse is complete with its original brass safety pin with a small elongated slot at the straight end which still has its original black cloth safety tab which engages with the slot in the safety pin to stop the pin falling out accidentally thus making the grenade easy to arm itself by the cap rotating from the safe to the firing position. The brass safety cap is stamped REMOVE TRAVEL & FIRE and these correspond to a red flat pointer on the main body to indicate the state of the grenade. This is a superb and difficult to find and original Number 1 mark III hand grenade. See pages 9 - 15 in ‘GRENADE’ British & Commonwealth Hand & Rifle Grenades by Rick Landers. The price includes UK delivery and no licence is required to possess this inert grenade in the UK if retained as part of a collection or display. Sn 20653