The "Mills Bomb" was a classic design which remained in production and front-line use from 1915 to well into the 1980s. It was designed by a golf club designer. It consisted of a pineapple shape cast-iron outer casing which contained the explosive and a central cylindrical passage for the fuse and detonator (which was closed by a base-plug) and a safety lever. The outside of the casing had a pattern of deep grooves intended by the designer to enable the thrower to grip it more securely, but which had a secondary effect of causing the casing to break up on explosion so that the danger area was filled with flying iron segments - most lethal of all, the base-plug. The standard delay fuse was 7 seconds, but in 1940 this was reduced to 4 seconds.

The grenade on auction is deactivated, hence the copper screw into the casing. It is mounted on a small round stand. The spring of the safety lever is still working when the safety pin is pulled. If the lever is moved to far away from the grenade, the fuse drops into the grenade and one has to unscrew the base plate to refit the spring and lever again.

Postage - R30.00