Unknown WW 1 Bomb

[wichitaslumlord]

Hello,
I was hoping someone could identify this unique WW 1 Bomb. It uses a "PISTOL, MARK II" as a tail fuze. The nose fuze is unknown to me. The nose fuze has a deep detonator well which can be seen through the filling hole in the middle of the bombs body.
It is pictured next to a Royal Laboratories Petrol Bomb, small, 3/4 Gall. for size comparison. The Petrol Bomb uses the exact same tail fuze. The tail fuze has no markings what so ever except for the stenciled word DUMMY on the white painted gaine cylinder, but the one on the small petrol bomb is very well marked. They are both pictured side by side for comparison.
The overall length including the nose fuze is 28 inches and the diameter is 11 inches. I have included a drawing of the tail fuze.
There is considerable original mustard yellow paint (very faint) showing through where the black paint has chipped and weathered away.
The last picture is a period photograph of a very close cousin, but not quite as plump as mine in relation to it's fins.
The period photo says "112lb HERL unexploded bomb" on the bottom. Could "HERL" stand for High Explosive Royal Laboratories?

Thanks in advance for any help in identification! Pat

 

[Dreamk]

100lbs Light Case Mk I
3 models of ww1 British Light-case bombs had the same general outlook - 65lb, 100lb and 112 lb - but dimensions were different and some details were characteristic.
Later models had changes in the shape of the fins and in the body diameter
The diameter here fits the 100lbs M I
The nose fuzing on your bomb is incomplete - see photographs below.


and another close-up pic of a a still incomplete nose fuzing but a littlle more complete than on your bomb - the central rod is still absent here.

 

[Snufkin]

The dimensions and body shape pretty much correspond to a 100lb HE RL bomb. Drawing from Leaflet No.4, Details of Aerial Bombs, 1918. The example shown is an HE RL 100lb Mk VI at the Royal Air Force Museum, London.

HE RL is indeed High Explosive, Royal Laboratory.

 

[Dreamk]

A couple of wartime drawings of the 100 lbs Mk I (full official designation Bomb, H.E., R.L., 100 lb., Light Case, Mark 1) showing details, among other, of the fuze mount and filling cap



and of the DA (= Direct Action) 1 Mk I nose fuze/exploder mounted on this bomb

 

[wichitaslumlord]

My sincerest thanks to both DREAMK and SNUFKIN for providing more information than I could have hoped for!
Pat

 

[Millsman]

Incredibly these bombs were shown in the US Navy Bomb Disposal Handbooks of 1942!

 

[Dreamk]

British RL bombs underwent a number of modifications, some quite drastic. Some of these models were still in service in Australia, South Africa and other points of the Commonwealth at the beginning of WW2 and even used operationaly in Burma and East Africa, thence their mention in EOD manuals till 1942 and even beyond this date.
Some of these bombs were also used against the British by former "clients" such as the Iraqis during the Rashid Ali pro-nazi revbellion of April 1941, the Spanish republic (mainly its Naval aviation) that used them operationally during the civil war, and Estonia where they were still the main bombs in service at teh time of the Soviet annexion of June 1940.
Here's for instance a picture of a 112 lb RL Mk VI bomb being loaded in the bomb bays of a RAAF Anson in the early stages of WW2


and here a picture from the Spanish civil war of a Spanish Vildebeest crew returning from mission over Teruel and showing also here RL 112 lb bomb similar to the ones they have just dropped. Notice that, on this bomb, both reinforcing struts between the fins on the side of the attachment point have been removed (though their attachement points are visible) so as to facilitate their loading on teh currntly used more modern bomb racks - something also seen in on remaining samples of these bombs in Spanish collections. - The British practice seems however to have been to remove only the frontal strut on this same side and keep the rear one in place.

 

[Snufkin]

Returning to the question of positively identifying the actual bomb of the opening post, there is still the obvious issue of the position of the filler hole.

While its dimensions and body are similar, all drawings and photographs of the 100lb HE RL shown so far have the filler hole located on the steel dome, in line with the lug on the body. The bomb in question has its filler hole in the conical body, opposite the lug. Examining the List of Changes paragraphs for the HE RL bombs makes no mention of moving the filler hole location.

Pat - just out of interest are you able to weigh the bomb?

 

[Burney Davis]

Returning to the question of positively identifying the actual bomb of the opening post, there is still the obvious issue of the position of the filler hole.

While its dimensions and body are similar, all drawings and photographs of the 100lb HE RL shown so far have the filler hole located on the steel dome, in line with the lug on the body. The bomb in question has its filler hole in the conical body, opposite the lug. Examining the List of Changes paragraphs for the HE RL bombs makes no mention of moving the filler hole location.

Pat - just out of interest are you able to weigh the bomb?

Good spot Tom, the filler hole is always in the dome on ones I have seen.

 

[Dreamk]

Quite interesting, indeed.
I have not found mention of a change in the location of the filling hole across the marks but there is this photograph showing also apparently an absence of filling hole in line with the suspension lug on the bomb in the foreground, and this does not seem to be a flaw in the photograph:

 

[Snufkin]

The photograph is fine, but unfortunately shows 112lb HE RL MkV bombs.