Michael Pegum Posted 10 March , 2010 Share Posted 10 March , 2010 What sort of bombs with a fuse that had to be lit would have been used in training at home in late 1915? I have an account of an officer who was killed in a practice session in Ireland. It was at a demonstration of a wooden catapult and, when he "bent down to light a second match to ignite the fuse on the bomb" it exploded, causing injuries from which he died a month later. Were such bombs factory-made by then? Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 10 March , 2010 Share Posted 10 March , 2010 Sounds like a Leach Gammages catapult which launched cricket ball or no 15 grenades which looked like smaller versions of cartoon bombs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T8HANTS Posted 10 March , 2010 Share Posted 10 March , 2010 Having lobbed both replica jam tins and No 15 ball grenades from my Leach catapult. I can say that the ball bomb is not well held by the pouch and has a tendency to slip out on the moment of release. Jam tins if consistently made are by far the best fodder for the beast, offering a greater surface area for the pouch to grip, and give better accuracy. The report of a second match implies that the officer had thought he had failed to light his bomb with the first. This sounds more like jam tin ignition, as I believe the No15 bomb employed a match like friction ignition system. G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 10 March , 2010 Share Posted 10 March , 2010 Having lobbed both replica jam tins and No 15 ball grenades from my Leach catapult. I can say that the ball bomb is not well held by the pouch and has a tendency to slip out on the moment of release. Jam tins if consistently made are by far the best fodder for the beast, offering a greater surface area for the pouch to grip, and give better accuracy. The report of a second match implies that the officer had thought he had failed to light his bomb with the first. This sounds more like jam tin ignition, as I believe the No15 bomb employed a match like friction ignition system. G Photos I've seen have a fuze that's lit and I have accounts of them being used in a Leach. I think in a previous thread we've discussed the possibility of a different pouch design. SOP was to light the fuze with a cigarette not a match. A Battie bomb is another option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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