Homemade grenade, 1916 Rising

Homemade grenade, 1916 Rising

This unusual home-made grenade was made by rebel forces for the 1916 Rising. Made from a cylinder of iron in the shape of a ship’s rivet, it is roughly scored in segments for exploding and segmenting evenly. Most bombs made for the Rising were the tin can type bombs, made from domestic cannisters and filled with black powder, shrapnel and a fuse, which often exploded from the top with little effect. Later grenades made by the IRA during the War of Independence were more professional, and based on the British Army Mills grenade.