Srange Cannon Shell

Not much metalwork on many aircraft in 1918!

The cartridge is a 37x190mm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COW_37_mm_gun
The Home Guards used them a bit. 1918 is one early piece!

http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/37-40mm.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz1MSHglGP4

Seen this?
http://www.williamsugghistory.co.uk/

I think what you have here doesn’t belong together. Possible?
What features a the projectile might be part of one of Mr. Sugg’s burners.

What features as the projectile might be part of one of Mr. Sugg’s burners.[/QUOTE]

The two items were always presented together, and fit ‘snuggly’ together. I am checking the sites offered and am willing to be persauded that it is an early cannon shell.
The ‘cooking apparatus’ of Mr Snugg’s burners does not sit well, only offering a rather explosive kitchen.
Perhaps Mr Snuggs was an outside wartime contractor, returning to his kitchen duties at the end of hostilities ?

If no answer on here,you could register on the
British Ordnance collectors network

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=3&ved=0CBQQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bocn.co.uk%2Fvbforum%2F105-mm-shell-t61982.html&rct=j&q=british+ww1+shell+case+markings&ei=NsFlS4f0JsK5jAeHysCfBw&usg=AFQjCNEGiOKHgDeXUfMOBZgNN0Orx9VMrA

From you second picture, does the copper rings on the projectile fit INSIDE the neck of the brass cartridge?, these are the deformable copper rings that form a gas tight seal with the barrels rifling as the projectile is fired.

The rings fit inside the cartridge and the cartidge neck is crimped to form a nice seal between the cartridge and shell, if this is not the case then the two might not belong together.

Regards,

John.

yes definitely W Sugg and co ltd

Looks more like ‘Sugg’ to me?

John.

Yes, the projectile head fits tightly into the brass shell as normal…..its the flat screw end marked with ‘snugg’ that is the curiosity.

I think it’s the transit plug fitted before the fuze was fitted in the HE head.

I showed this thread to an ordnance collector friend of mine. Here is what he has to say about your shell………

“…its a Coventry Ordnance Works (COW) 1.5 (pronounced ‘one and a half’) pounder HE round. Developed in WW1 as an aircraft gun, it was too heavy and cumbersome to be used effectively (the gunner had to stand up to fire it in an open cockpit), the gun was 8 ft long and the recoil almost stopped a biplane in flight and threatened to shake the thing apart. It was relegated to stores until WW2 meant that a shortage of anything that the Home Guard could use was brought out and dusted off.

The brass top is a transit plug – shells were not normally fuzed until needed for use. The fuze for this mark of shell was a 131 – a very sensitive diaphram fuze that would be activated on impact with fabric of a biplane or airship.

ps: a very rare round and worth £150 at least “

Hope this helps ?

Cheers….

Good! So now we know what Mr. Sugg and Co. did to support the war effort. Cute little factoid of industrial history.