Lancaster starter

Hi Moggy
Dimensions as follows
Outside Dia. 22mm

Inside Dia. 21mm

Length 14mm

Slight inward taper at firing pin end

Outside of cartridge seems to have marks caused by being clamped inside a barrel when fired. It seems to be very well made out of brass (Much better quality than a shot gun cartridge)

Tried to photograph it but it came out blurred. I dont think my cheap and nasty digital camera is up to it.

Thanks

Sounds to me more like a Verey Cartridge brass.

Any chance of a picture or even the dimensions?

EDIT: No it doesn’t, they definitely have the same sort of lip as a shotshell – sorry

Moggy

The theory about the primer for an anti-aircraft gun shell sounds favourite to me after all the primer for the cartridge of the 5.5″ gun was a .303blank

Many thanks for the information. The reason I am asking is because I found what I initially thought was the base of a shotgun cartridge but longer and made of brass also without the lip normally found around the base. One of my colleagues at work, Who is a member of a shooting club, confirmed that it is not from a shot gun but when I mentioned that a Lancaster crashed nearby suggested a Coffman starter cartridge. There were also some anti aircraft guns on this site and a priming cap for one the shells has also been suggested so I think that will be my next line of inquiry.
Thank you again for your help.

IIRC the most common Merlin fitted to the Lancaster was the Merlin Mk XX, there may have been others of which I am not aware, which were definitely electric start.

A definite no.
It would involve a completely different mark of engine, and these were never fitted in a production Lancaster.

Peter

Yes, those are the two. I was not quit old enough to see the Lancaster in service.

But, I can’t recall the Lancasters in Dambusters, or any wartime documentary appearing to have cartridge starts.

Moggy

Would they have been converted to a more up to date starting system ( I assume you are refering to the BBMF & East Kirkby) but would an operational Lanc from 1945 have a Coffman. I have tried Google but can only come up with a Coffman starter on Spitfire Merlins ?

Certainly both the ones I’ve seen starting were / are electric.

Moggy

Don’t take my word for it but I think you’ll find that Lancasters had electric start across the range.