Boomerang Bomb

[RussT]

Came across this curiosity in a war diary for Special Companies RE.

 

Anyone know much about it?

 

Not sure I would be keen on a bomb designed to come back at me once thrown !

 

Russ

 

 

[NorthStaffsPOW]

Maybe it was designed for Australian troops with the same attitude as the No. 15 "cricket ball" grenade. All British lads will know how to throw a cricket ball so all Aussies will know how to throw boomerang. 

 

Seriously though, thanks for posting and hopefully someone can enlighten us. 

 

To quote a song: "my boomerang won't come back." 

Reply: "thank god for that!" 

 

[davidbohl]

According to the South Highland News APRIL 9 2015

https://www.southernhighlandnews.com.au/story/2992498/boomerang-grenades-struth-with-david-ellis/

 

Dave

 

 

DON'T return to sender? The bizarre Russell Boomerang Grenade proposed for the Australian Army in World War I. Photo: Roderick Eime

[davidbohl]

I think with the weight of it they were hoping it would have run out of aerodynamic lift over the enemy before deciding to come back.

What next an exploding digiridoo?

Dave

[Gunner Bailey]

The metal boomerang bomb was invented by Mr G V Russell a Melbourne engineer. 

 

Tested in 1915 and due to inconsistent results tests extended into 1916. It contained 3 ozs of basting gelignite and was set off by a length of Bickford fuze and a detonator.

 

It was rejected by Lt Colonel R Law, who ran the Australian Grenade Training School as being to 'erratic and uncertain in flight for military purposes'.

 

A page is devoted to it in Rick Landers book 'Grenade'.

 

 

Edited 25 March , 2020 by Gunner Bailey

[RussT]

Thank for the feedback and background information.

 

For future reference and just in case anyone wants to follow this line up, the War Diary with the sketch I posted is given below:

 

The sketch appears as an Appendix to the May 1917 section of the diary. Looking through the diary for that month and beyond provides these references to this bomb, which I've transcribed below:

 

Heily, 13/04/1917: Major Woodgate, RTO Amiens, who has designed new bomb, visited these Headquarters under instructions from Headquarters Fourth Army and discussed the matter with Major Sanders and Lieut. N K Thomson MC, Workshop Officer.

Heily, 14/04/1917: Major Sanders visited Bombing School with RTO Amiens in connection with his new bomb.

Heily, 04/05/1917: Major Sanders, Major Woodgate (RTO Amiens) and Lt W Burt visited Fourth Army Headquarters re demonstration with new bombs designed by Major Woodgate. Sketch of bomb attached (A).

Heily, 09/05/1917: Major Sanders & Lt Thomson MC visited XV Corps school to witness demonstration in the uses of new boomerang bomb invented by Major Woodgate, RTO Amiens. The bomb was considered to be very satisfactory and several dummies were retained by Commandant XV Corp School for further tests. Range obtained was 100 yards.

Heily, 24/05/1917: Major Sanders and Major Woodgate, RTO Amiens, proceeded to XV Corps Headquarters to give demonstration with boomerang bombs to GOC Fourth Army & GOC XV Corps.

Heily, 08/06/1917: Lt W Burt proceeded to Fourth Army Workshop with Major Woodgate, RTO, to arrange for the making of practice boomerang bombs.

 

So, "interesting" that it mentions it was invented by Major Woodgate !

 

 

Regards

 

Russ

 

 

[Gunner Bailey]

It looks like Major Woodgate had the idea in parallel with Mr Russell and Woodgate's boomerang was wooden as opposed to the all metal Russell version.

 

Normally ideas from the field were tested by the Royal Engineers Experimental Section at St Omer, but I can't see evidence of them testing a boomerang grenade but they may have.

 

Interestingly although Lt Col Law rejected the Russell Grenade, it does appear in the Australian Imperial Forces training booklet "Grenades and their Uses" written by Lt Col Law, It is described by Law as being invented by Russel-Sutton (note one l in Russell).

 

Copy of the diagram in the booklet below,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 25 March , 2020 by Gunner Bailey

[hightree]

I'm a boomerang enthusiast and stumbled by accident on this forum. I'm doing research on the early boomerang history and I'm writting a book about it. One chapter will go about boomerang inspired inventions and the Russell boomerang grenade is one of them.

 

I have no access to the pamphlet from Law or Richard Landers book. Can anyone provide me with a copy of the pages on this grenade? Illustrations in not too low resolution would also be appreciated.

 

I was not aware on a wooden boomerang bomb by Woodgate. I would also like to add this in my book. Where can I find the above drawing in higher resolution?

 

Garrett Victor Russell according a newspaper, was sent to America and seemed to have been offered a sum of 150.000 dollars by the Grenade Co. of America. He had to return the money because there was no patent applied. At Sandy Hook he acted as a instructor in grenade throwing. He was the only foreigner to be allowed without a pass. According Law trials were made in 1916, but the first trial were made in 1915 in the presence of Colonel Dangar. 

 

Here is more information and better illustrations; https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collections-research/collections/record/am_humanhistory-object-787617

 

In 1889 there was another invention based on the boomerang principle, called the boomerang bullet. Maybe interesting to the people here.

 

Anyone who wishes to contact me: arvorealt@gmail.com

 

Thank you!

 

Harold

 

 

[Gunner Bailey]

43 minutes ago, hightree said:

 

 

I have no access to the pamphlet from Law or Richard Landers book. Can anyone provide me with a copy of the pages on this grenade? Illustrations in not too low resolution would also be appreciated.

 

I was not aware on a wooden boomerang bomb by Woodgate. I would also like to add this in my book. Where can I find the above drawing in higher resolution?

 

 

 

Thank you!

 

Harold

 

 

 

Hi Harold

 

I photographed a page of an Australian Training manual I have. I will send you a better copy by email.

 

John

[14276265]

Hightree -  herewith a couple of pages from the file in the Melbourne Archives. Is this stuff of any interest?

 

 

 

265

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 22 October , 2020 by 14276265

[hightree]

Thank you 14276265 ! Anything on this topic is helpful to me.

 

I also found the patent paper on the Russell Grenade, here it is;

 

 

 

 

 

pdfSource.pdf

[Guest]

interesting reading.

[hightree]

I found the diary papers on Woodgate with the info Russ provided, thanks for this detailed info!

 

Can anybody tell what H.E. means in "cavity for H.E. & fragments"? E must stand for explosives but I don't know where the "H" stands for.

 

 

I'm curious on Australian Trainings Manual from John.

 

It seems that Mr. Russell had a lot of misfortune with his invention. I'm trying to figure how it went on in the USA, maybe there are some archives there. 

 

 

Edited 23 October , 2020 by hightree

[Matlock1418]

12 minutes ago, hightree said:

Can anybody tell what H.E. means in "cavity for H.E. & fragments"? E must stand for explosives but I don't know where the "H" stands for.

I would presume "H" = "High" as in High Explosives [HE] i.e. those that detonate rapidly

:-) M

[4thGordons]

H.E. is usually HIGH EXPLOSIVE

Which I believe has to do with the relative speed with which it detonates?

Chris

 

Ha Snap!

Edited 23 October , 2020 by 4thGordons

[hightree]

Thank you, yes probably high explosives. Any idea to how it would detonate? I see 2 chambers, no fuse like with the Russell grenade, which was really an extra besides the detonator.  I wonder if there's a patent paper in the UK, but maybe it did not pass the experimental phase and there isn't none.

[Gunner Bailey]

Boomerang diagram and notes posted as promised (by PM).

[hightree]

Thanks John! I can understand Law's reaction. Boomerang shaped grenades probably were more suitable for dexterous throwers. One of the first trial on July 1915, Colonel Dangar was very impressed but they had help from Harvey Sutton who was an expert boomerang thrower. I can imagine half year later when soldiers tried with the dummies without a proper instruction it would proof rather difficult as Law said. It's not only aerodynamics which are applied to boomerangs but gyroscopic precession is a second mayor factor. With a heavy and rather small object you would need to give it a lot spin which would be difficult. These boomerang grenades were thrown low and vertical, towards the end of the inward journey it would gain height, it would make a tendacy to curve like a normal boomerang, but losing a lot spin and because of the weight it drops down quickly. Just like in the illustration from the patent paper below. Nevertheless quite ingenious to make it land in a trench from 100 yards distance or more. 

 

 

Edited 23 October , 2020 by hightree

[Gunner Bailey]

3 hours ago, hightree said:

 

Can anybody tell what H.E. means in "cavity for H.E. & fragments"? 

 

 

Fragments

 

There was a school of thought that you could add fragments inside a grenade mixed in with the explosives.

 

William Mills experimented with grenades that had either resin pellets, aluminium pellets or 'steel slugs' inside them. I take steel slugs to be metal rod cut into short pieces, but am happy to be corrected on that. In a couple of cases he made the grenade bodies of aluminium which reduced the weight by 50% allowing for a heavier filling.

 

It's quite possible the boomerang grenade had similar experiments conducted.

 

John

Edited 23 October , 2020 by Gunner Bailey

[hightree]

 

 

1 hour ago, Gunner Bailey said:

Fragments

 

There was a school of thought that you could add fragments inside a grenade mixed in with the explosives.

 

William Mills experimented with grenades that had either resin pellets, aluminium pellets or 'steel slugs' inside them. I take steel slugs to be metal rod cut into short pieces, but am happy to be corrected on that. In a couple of cases he made the grenade bodies of aluminium which reduced the weight by 50% allowing for a heavier filling.

 

It's quite possible the boomerang grenade had similar experiments conducted.

 

John

Yes exactly, when you read the patent paper above it says that pellets of lead or hard metal can be put inside the Russell grenade.

[14276265]

Herewith copy of blueprint of the grenade and more from Russell-Sutton Co. (courtesy Melbourne Archives) - fragments to create a "shrapnel" effect are shown:

 

 

 

265

Edited 23 October , 2020 by 14276265

[14276265]

And after much correspondence to and fro debating the grenade's merits (or lack thereof), the final dismissal of Russell's appeal:

 

 

 

265

[Gunner Bailey]

Outstanding research Tom. Thanks for sharing.

[hightree]

Amazing stuff Tom! What strikes me is that the flight path on the blue print is altered from the original blueprint/patent paper, to show how the shrapnel could be effective at a greater height. Russell pulling everything out of the closet to convince how versatile his grenade could be.

 

Of course this can only be done with the fuse and would require perfect timing. The problem with the Russell-Sutton grenade is that there is too much weight in the center. More weight in the center with boomerangs would make it layover sooner. Laying over sooner means that the grenade would mount up in the sky  earlier and shortening the range. Therefore like said in the patent paper, it needs a quite vertical throw, so that a bigger range is garanteed and that after it loses spin, it would slowly layover and then go into a horizontal plane and rise in the sky. Being really heavy with relative short arms the boomerang grenade would curve a bit and then drop how is shown in the blueprint/patent paper. There also lies the problem. If soldiers would all throw a bit differently, the flightpath would be much different and the place were it would land less predictable. This is what Law realized I guess. 

 

I found yet another patent paper that Russell filed on 24th February 1916 with the Canadian Patent Office. This is a month after the dismissal of Russel's appeal. I could not find anything on his American adventure but will look further.

 

Here's the link to the paper:

 

 

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924062416783&view=1up&seq=881

 

Edited 24 October , 2020 by hightree

[JHideas]

Hello. 
Traying to make 3D printed replica. 
 

What do you think?
MODEL is finished  

 

Regards

 

Jaroslav