Is this an 18-pounder HE shell ?

[RodB]

I have below a photograph of a fired 18-pounder shell and No. 106 fuze offered for sale on a French auction site. The seller stated it is a HE shell. It appears to have been painted black which normally indicated shrapnel. Did paint survive firing ? The nose appears undamaged : did shrapnel bursting damage the nose ? Otherwise it's a dud HE. The stampings are barely legible. Are there any distinguishing features of the HE shell without being able to look inside ? I'm not interested in buying it, I was interested in it for the 106 fuze : that applied only to a HE shell but if we aren't pedantic the photo adequately illustrates the fuze with a shell.

thanks

Rod

[Greg]

Since it has been fired (you can see the marks on the driving band at its base)and the shell is still intact it is more likely to be a carrier shell for gas or shrapnel. Not quite sure how large the bursting charge was in a gas shell and whether it burst the shell itself. Alternatively it might have been HE that failed to go off. Would not like to removed the contents my self in that situation! I am sure somebody will be able to interpret the markings on the front which start F4 and tell you the original colour scheme.

Greg