Auction 100
WWI BRITISH MILLS BOMB GRENADE
Inert early WWI British Mills Bomb fragmentation grenade. They were the first modern fragmentation grenades used by the British Army and saw widespread use in the First and Second World Wars. The Mills Bomb is the iconic example of a 20th century hand grenade and underwent numerous modifications. The Mills was a classic design; a grooved cast iron "pineapple" with a central striker held by a close hand lever and secured with a pin. According to Mills’s notes, the casing was grooved to make it easier to grip, not as an aid to fragmentation and it has been shown that it does not shatter along the segmented lines. The Mills was a defensive grenade meant to be thrown from behind cover at a target in the open, wounding with fragmentation. Inert, very good.
