No. 6 grenade
Encyclopedia
The No 6 Grenade is a hand grenade
used by the United Kingdom
during World War I.
The No 6 was a concussion grenade. A variant of it called the "No 7" contained shrapnel, making it a primitive fragmentation grenade
. Pulling a loop at the top of the grenade ignited the fuse. Once the loop was pulled, the grenade was armed and had to be thrown immediately.
. It is one of the few intern grenades that uses a friction-based lighting system.
While this seemed fine in theory, in practice it had multiple problems. The most prominent of all was that the arming method did not work as intended. In many cases pulling the loop was too difficult for one man to do and it required two men. For a lone soldier, the best method was to hold the grenade between the knees and pull on the loop with both hands. However, this often resulted in cutting the fingers in addition to igniting the fuse.
Another danger was that the friction igniter was very sensitive, a powerful blow to the grenade with the detonator inserted could set it off. This made the No 6 almost as dangerous as the percussion cap
grenades that it was designed to replace.
At the end of December 1915, the No. 6 and No. 7 were declared obsolete. However, it appears they were still in use up to at least 1917, as grenade manuals made during that time have a section on how to activate and ignite it.
The No 7 is a variant of the No 6. Unlike the No 6, it has an inner and outer casing. The inner casing contained the explosive while the outer contained scrap that was intended to be used as shrapnel. Generally, the No 6 was used in preference to the No 7 as it was lighter and there was the possibility of shrapnel from the No 7 hitting friendly soldiers.
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
used by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during World War I.
The No 6 was a concussion grenade. A variant of it called the "No 7" contained shrapnel, making it a primitive fragmentation grenade
Fragmentation grenade
A fragmentation grenade is an anti-personnel weapon that is designed to disperse shrapnel upon exploding. The body is made of hard plastic or steel. Flechettes, notched wire, ball bearings or the case itself provide the fragments...
. Pulling a loop at the top of the grenade ignited the fuse. Once the loop was pulled, the grenade was armed and had to be thrown immediately.
History
The No 6 was one of the intern grenades created because of problems associated with the No 1 GrenadeNo 1 Grenade
The Grenade, Hand No 1 was the first British hand grenade used in World War I.-Overview:The Grenade No 1 was designed in the Royal Laboratory and is based on reports of Japanese hand grenades during the Russo-Japanese War by General Sir Aylmer Haldane, who was a British observer of the...
. It is one of the few intern grenades that uses a friction-based lighting system.
While this seemed fine in theory, in practice it had multiple problems. The most prominent of all was that the arming method did not work as intended. In many cases pulling the loop was too difficult for one man to do and it required two men. For a lone soldier, the best method was to hold the grenade between the knees and pull on the loop with both hands. However, this often resulted in cutting the fingers in addition to igniting the fuse.
Another danger was that the friction igniter was very sensitive, a powerful blow to the grenade with the detonator inserted could set it off. This made the No 6 almost as dangerous as the percussion cap
Percussion cap
The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzleloading firearms to fire reliably in any weather.Before this development, firearms used flintlock ignition systems which produced flint-on-steel sparks to ignite a pan of priming powder and thereby fire the...
grenades that it was designed to replace.
At the end of December 1915, the No. 6 and No. 7 were declared obsolete. However, it appears they were still in use up to at least 1917, as grenade manuals made during that time have a section on how to activate and ignite it.
Variants
No 7The No 7 is a variant of the No 6. Unlike the No 6, it has an inner and outer casing. The inner casing contained the explosive while the outer contained scrap that was intended to be used as shrapnel. Generally, the No 6 was used in preference to the No 7 as it was lighter and there was the possibility of shrapnel from the No 7 hitting friendly soldiers.