British (Commonwealth) Markings

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These markings are specific to Commonwealth ammuntion but may be used by other nations.

Colour or Marking Meaning Notes
Red Band A filled Grenade, filling may be HE, WP, or any other live filling.  
Band of Red "X" Grenade is filled and  sealed suitable for a moist climate.  
Bronze painted body Indicates a Drill Grenade Modern, Canada, Australia
Dark Blue Body Indicates a Drill Grenade Older marking
Light Blue Body Indicates a Practice Grenade, will have a practice charge.  
Body Zinc Coated Indicates a Drill Grenade WWI
White Body Indicates a Drill or unfilled grenade Old markings, WWI and WWII
Light Green Body Indicates a Smoke munition  
Grey Body Indicates a Riot Control filling
Ring of Alternating "X" and dashes Indicates the filling of the item is limited to one year from date of receipt in Hot climates  
Hatched red ring Indicates use in Temperate climates only.  
     
     
     

 

Manufacturers Markings

ACM Ames Crosta Mills Heywood, Lancashire
A&FP A & F Pears Isleworth
AM & Co. A. Marston & Co. Wolverhampton

ALLEN WEST or AW&Co or AWCo

Allen West & Co.

Brighton

AP.DP and a large Z

AP Astra Pyrotechnics Kent

APX

Royal Ordnance Factories

AW Acme Wringers Glasgow
A.W.O. Albright & Wilson, Oldbury Oldbury
A.W.S. Albright & Wilson, Stourport Stourport
BBC British Bath Co. Greenford
B & D Brooks & Doxey Manchester
Barber & Sons Ltd Barber & Sons Ltd West Bromwich
BEC LD` Birmingham Engineering Co. Ld Birmingham

BGL

Birmingham Guild Ltd.

Birmingham
B&G LD Brown & Green Ltd Luton
B LD Bullers Ltd Tipton, Staffordshire
BRYANT Bryant & Sons Birmingham
Burman & Sons Burman & Sons  Birmingham
BW LTD Bowden Wire London

BS or HBS

Royal Ordnance Bishopton

Strathclyde, Scotland

B.S. British United Shoe Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

C (on body)

Chatco (on safety lever)

Chatham Co. 

 

Chatham Ont. Canada
CC Carron Company Falkirk, Scotland
CC/C Continental Can Co./Canada Canadian
CEW Central Engineering Works South African

CIL

Canadian Industries Limited

Canadian

CMCo or CALTHORPE MOTOR CO (1912) LTD

Calthorpe Motor Co. (1912) Ltd.

Birmingham
CPP in triangle Colton, Palmer, & Preston Adelaide, South Australia
CSF/C Canadian Safety Fuse Company Brownsburg
CW Cook & Williams Victoria, Australia

CY

Royal Ordnance Factory, Chorley

Chorley, Lancashire

D & B

Dobson & Barlow Ltd.

Bolton, Lancashire
DCC Dominion Can Co. Melbourne, Australia

DFC or DFCo

Dudley Foundry Co.

DLR Thomas De La Rue London
D&M or DAVIS & MAWSON Davis & Mawson Birmingham
EBW Edward Brothers Birmingham
EECo English Electric Co.  

E & S

Edison & Swan Ltd. Edison & Swan United Electric Light Co. Ltd.

EAR &Co or E A RADNALL & CO

E.A. Radnall & Co.

Birmingham

Elmbank Foundry

Elmbank Foundry

. Glasgow, Scotland

ESH&S E.S. Hindley & Sons Bourton, Dorset
ETAS    
ET&SW E. Tonks & Sons Willenhall Willenhall, Staffordshire

FALCO or FICL or FALKIRK

Falkirk Iron Co. Ltd.

Scotland
FARRER William E Farrer Ltd Birmingham
FB Fallows & Bates Manchester
FLH F. L. Hudson & Co. Brisbane, Australia

FPL

FREMO

Frederick Mountford (Birmingham) Ltd.

Birmingham

FW

Frost & Woods

Canadian

F & S Forrest & Sym Manchester

G

Galt Metal Industries Ontario Canada
G & Co. Gabriel & Co. Birmingham

GD

Royal Ordnance Factory, Glascoed.

GE Greenwood Engineering  London
GE George Edmunds Ltd Birmingham
G.H. & Co. Geo. Hopkins & Co.

GTL

Gestetner Ltd. London

London
G&ML Glover & Mail Ltd.  

H & W

Haley & Weller Ltd.

H&B Ltd Howard & Bullough Ltd. Accrington

HINKS

Jas. Hinks & Son Ltd.

Birmingham
H. HOPE & SONS H. Hope & Sons  
HSC    
H&TV or H & T VAUGHAN H & T Vaughan Willenhall, Staffordshire
IBR Ideal Boilers & Radiators Hull
IVI Industries Valcartier Inc.) Canadian
J.A.P. or J.A. Phillips Phillips & Co. Birmingham
J.A.S & S. Ld James Allen Senior & Sons Glasgow

J.G.

James Gibbons

Wolverhampton

JCCo or James Cycles Birmingham

James Cycle Co. Ltd.

Birmingham
JHW John Harper, Willenhall Willenhall, Staffordshire
JL & Co.

JMD & S L

J.M. Doughty & Sons Ltd.

London
Joseph Steer Joseph Steer Birmingham
JP&S W Joseph Parkes & Sons Willenhall, Staffordshire
JP&S or JPS John Pilling and Sons Colne Lancashire
JWG    

K (with dot in each opening of the K)

A Kenrick & Sons 

West Bromwich
LEGGE J Legge & Co. Ltd Willenhall
MAP    
MB Moore Bros Ltd Birmingham

M.B. Co

Metal Box Co.
M & C    
MDS & Co.    
MF (Joined) or R&AM R & A Main Falkirk Scotland
MGM Metropolitan Gas Meter Co. London & Nottingham
M&LCCo Ltd Gy Munitions & Light Castings Ltd Grimsby

M or M & Co.

Morum & Co. London

London
MOORWOOD'S Moorwoods Co.  
MOTOR EQUIPMENT Motor Equipment Co.  Birmingham
M & P May & Padmore
MP Mason & Porter Mt. Wellington, Auckland NZ

M&S or MESSENGER & SONS

Messenger & Sons

Birmingham

M.M. Co.

Mills Munitions Company

Mills Manufacturing Company

Birmingham

MB

Moore Bros. Ltd.

1 M.B Metal box Co Atkin’s Branch. (F. Atkins & Co., Ltd), Hull
2 M.B

 

Metal box Co Robinson branch, Hull
3 M.B

 

Metal box Co Barclay & Fry. (Printing works), London . SE1
4 M.B

 

Metal box Co Portslade Factory
5 M.B

 

Metal box Co E. C. Barlow & Sons, Hackney, London
6 M.B

 

Metal box Co Barringer Wallis & Manners Mansfield, Notts
9 M.B

 

Metal box Co Manchester Factory
10 M.B

 

Metal box Co Henry Grant, Boutle, Bermondsey, SE1
11 M.B

 

Metal box Co Hodgsons, Newcastle
12 M.B Metal box Co Hudsons, Scott & Sons, Carlisle (Milk can) factory
13 M.B Metal box Co (E. C. Barlow & Sons. Palmers Green Factory.),London
14 M.B Metal box Co G. H.Williamsons. Worcester
15 M.B Metal box Co West Glamorgan , Clydbech
16 M.B Metal box Co Cork Eire
30 M.B Metal box Co Neath Factory. Neath

MF

Munitions Footscray (later Australian Defence Industries)
MY Munitions filling Factory, St. Marys (later Australian Defence Industries) NSW Australia
N-AIR Airzone Sydney, New South Wales

NIC

Wallop Industries

NIC might be NICO sold through Wallop

nPz

New Zealand Railway Workshop Palmerston North, New Zealand
O.M. Co. Oriture Manufacturing Co.  

Pains Wessex or PW

Pains Wessex Ltd.

PB & Co.    

PDL with a V centred under the D

Believed to be New Zealand manufacture

PE

Peebles Co. Ltd. Glasgow.

PDC

Patent Die Castings Co Ltd.

Greenford, Middlesex
PDC Peterborough Die Castings Peterborough
PERFECTA    
PF Pheonix Foundry South Africa

POF

Pakistan Ordnance Factory

Wah Cantt Pakistan

PRECA Press Caps Ltd.  
PR & CO    

PSC

Parkinson Stone Co. Ltd.

Q Qualcast Derby

REL in an oval

Revo Electric Co.  Birmingham
RFC Ld    
RBD R.B. Davies & Co. Victoria, Australia, & Sydney, New South Wales
REVO Revo Electric Co Ltd Tipton, St
RING-GRIP Ring Grip Company Adelaide, Southern Australia

RIVERBANK

RL

Royal Laboratories Woolwich

ROF(P) Royal Ordnance Patricroft
RONEO Roneo Ltd London
ROSCO Roofers Supply Co Toronto Ont. Canada

S (in circle)

Joseph Stokes Rubber Co Ontario, Canada
S    

S.B. & Co.

Seimens Bros. And Company

Schermuly

Pains Wessex Ltd.

SDR Strebor Die-Casting Co Ltd Manchester
SGB    

SQ

Brocks Explosives Ltd Sandquhar, Scotland
SWN Royal Ordnance Factory Swynnerton
S.W. With """"" above letters Sunshine Waterloo Co. Ltd Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

TA & S

T.  Adshead & Sons Worcestershire

Dudley Worcestershire

TH Ld

Thorpe Arch
TG & C.   or TGAC Thomas Glover & Co
T&S Tweedales & Smalley Castleton

Two woodscrews forming the uprights of an "H" and a smaller screw forming the crosspiece, above the bar is the character "&" and below the bar "Co". Or HAWKINS & CO LTD BIRMINGHAM

Hawkins & Co. Ltd.

UCC Union Can Co. Melbourne, Australia
VADIS Davis & Brocklesbury Manchester
VEC Villiers Engineering Co. Birmingham

VML

Vickers Marine Limited

VONO    

VP Ld or VP Ltd LONDON

Vickerys Patents Ltd.

Devonshire Grove, London SE
W & Co. Wilkins, John London
 mark.jpg (7566 bytes) Walsall Ltd.

WA & Co

Wm Ayrton & Co.

Manchester

WB

Westinghouse Brake Co. Ltd.

WE Co. Ltd

Western Electric Co Ltd London
WEB or WEB LTD WE Blake Ltd London
WSB W Smith Engineering & Bros Ltd Manchester
WS&S William Suckling & Sons Birmingham
WW&S Ltd Wm. Whitley & Sons Ltd

Or

W Weatherhead & Sons

Prospect Iron Works Lockwood Yorks   

 

Dumfries St Luton

Shape of a hand (Red hand of Ulster) Barbour Mills Foundry Comber, County Down, NI