Original Item. Only One Available. This is a very scarce Mk I Practice bomb, consisting of a nose casting, fitted with a striker assembly and a tail cone which constitutes a container for the filling, and is fitted with a central tube for a detonator burster. The nose casting is made of iron, internally threaded at the rear to receive the spigot portion of a central plug which closes the forward end of the tail cone. The interior of the nose is filled with lead, and has a clearance hole for the striker rod. The striker is secured by a cotter pin (removed when loaded), a safety pin spring-loaded outward, and a shear wire through the guide brush. Like all deactivated ordnance, this bomb is Not Available for Export.
The bomb measures 18” long with a body diameter of 3”. The total weight is 11½ pounds and it is painted white with two ½ inch green bands at the bottom of the body. It is marked on the side:
11½ LBI
IMI 40
The sheet-metal tail cone, constituting the container for the filling, is closed at the rear by a conical steel tail plug and at the forward end by a central plug which screws into the rear of the nose casting. A tapped hole is provided in the central plug for filling purposes. Secured to the tail plug is a tail tube having four fins, which carry a cylindrical strut. The tail tube is closed at the rear by a cap.
This is a very scarce example of a WWII British practice bomb, ready for further research and display.