Original British WWI Battye Grenade Body - Inert

Original Item. Only One Available. The Battye grenade was a small defensive hand grenade designed by British Army Major B C Battye, serving with the Indian Corps at the end of 1914. They were manufactured at 78 Rue de Lille, Bethune, France through 1915 using French civilians to fill the cases made from cast iron with ammonal. The Battye Hand Grenades were fitted with 5 second fuses of two types: a flame ignited wick or a Nobel patent detonator. The Nobel patent detonator worked by the user first removing the safety pin after which the user would slap the cap causing a percussion cap located inside the cap to light the main fuse.

This grenade is completely void of any explosive content with an inert fuse as per the BATF guidelines on inert ordnance. This cannot be converted back to be used as an explosive device. Not Available For Export.

This is a lovely example of a Battye grenade body, with no top or fuze. It measures 1¾” in diameter and 3” tall. This example is in great shape with the grooves still well-defined.

Ready for further research and display.