RCAM Bomb Room: British World War Ordnance

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In the first of a series filmed at the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum in Shilo, Manitoba, I have a look at 5 fascinating pieces of British World War ordnance from the Museum's Bomb Room:
0:00 Introduction
0:31 World of Warships Promo
2:04 No.75 Hawkins Mine/Grenade
6:37 Limpet Mine Mk.IV
14:04 No.68 Antitank Rifle Grenade
16:25 No.69 Hand Grenade
20:02 No.1 Hand Grenade
SOURCES:
stephentaylorhistorian.files....
tgrm.foxed.ca/no.%2075.html
www.awm.gov.au/collection/C30...
web.archive.org/web/200809162...
web.archive.org/web/200809162...
stephentaylorhistorian.files....
www.inert-ord.net/brit/no69/in...
www.dday-overlord.com/en/mate...
talesfromthesupplydepot.blog/...
stephentaylorhistorian.files....
www.footballandthefirstworldw...

[@CanadianMacGyver]

Play World of Warships here: wo.ws/3SGK3R9 Thank you World of Warships for sponsoring this video. During registration use the code HSF2023 to get for free: 200 doubloons, 1 million credits, 7 Days of Premium Account time, HSF commander Misaki Akeno, and HSF commander Irizaki Mei. Applicable to new users only.

[@gregorm9183]

NO

[@rofl0rblades]

I don't mind the sponsorship, WOWS is actually a decent free to play game with good value even for non paying players.

[@joshgreen2164]

Your humor, Gilles, is above and beyond. Rarely do i laugh out loud but the number 69 "nice". Killed me😢

[@jfu5222]

Cling to your schoolboy humor! It's the secret to staying youthful, that and adult acne.

[@Zbigniew_Nowak]

E, is any number safe from strange associations? Apparently, footballers cannot wear shirts with the number 18 because they are associated with nazis XD

[@nickjohnson410]

I'm still rolling from the Ian call out... that was hilarious... and done in typical French Fashion. So Good! The absolutely perfect French pronunciation after the joke was over... just twisting the Fairbairn-Sykes a little more each time.

[@douglasfur3808]

However he did pass on the "Bull Limpet Mine". I guess that's a matter of taste.

[@jeffclark2725]

@@douglasfur3808 I heard the Limpet mine name, and first thought of the Don Knotts movie the incredible mr limpett, great video

[@JesusChrist8451]

The fact that this channel isn't bigger is criminal

[@jfu5222]

It has grown quickly since I first saw it around two months ago!

[@Nicmadis]

Our Own Devices, the "Forgotten Doodads and Thingamajigs" equivalent of "Forgotten Weapons." Equally important.

[@user-zh1xj7my1h]

@4:32: The ignition composition triggered by release of sulfuric acid would almost certainly be a CHLORATE oxidized mixture, rather than a PERCHLORATE mixture as conjectured here. CHLORATE compositions are notorious for igniting on contact with strong acids, perchlorate compositions are much more resistant to autoignition under acidic conditions. Speaking from 30+ years hands on experience in pyrotechnics and having collected & read a good deal of period technical literature.

[@hoilst265]

THE ANISEED BALLS! You just answered a question I had since childhood. I saw a cutaway of one of those limpets when I was a kid, and everything was labeled, yes...and right there was "ANISEED BALL" with absolutely zero explanation. Thought it was a codename or something.

[@jp-um2fr]

The river Ouse is pronounced 'ooze' as in toothpaste oozes. Apart from that, a superb video as always. I have read that the Japanese would always drive over a pile of elephant or other manure. Needless to say, this became an ideal place for any landmine - of reasonable size. They didn't want anyone in the cab left alive to report the incident. What a way to meet honourable ancestors.

[@howardchambers9679]

You know you're in the do-do when shit blows up

[@alexmarshall4331]

You beat me to it LOL

[@FishyBoi1337]

FINALLY, somebody that doesn't take themself so seriously. The "nice" at mk. 69 made me lol

[@bluelemmy6375]

I still have a stout, unusually powerful horseshoe magnet that had been in my grandfather’s workshop for decades. It wasn’t until I saw that photo of a Limpet no.6 that I realized where it came from. 🤯

[@shanek6582]

I read "Churchill's ministry of ungentlemanly warfare" (I think that's the exact title if I remember) a couple years ago, it's cool to actually see some of the things they came up with. Thanks man, glad I found your channel.

[@paulbush7095]

I am so glad that I discovered your channel with its fascinating content. Thank you for providing this entertaining source of education!

[@titanplatine]

this video is amazing the sheer density of relevant information is impressive. i hope you get the chance to cover other s.o.e and oss devices like the sleeping beauty , the spigot mortar,and early scuba gear , thank you again for your work

[@christophersilsby7829]

There was a technical manual or TM printed in the late 1960s on anti vehicle mines. Mine had a lot of different NATO wheeled and light tanks that you might see in Europe in the front, and it showed the information on all vehicles like sive and basic data. The second part showed the available anti vehicle weapons, mostly mines.

[@kyleeames8229]

I’m just a little surprised that the limpet mine didn’t also have a fuse option that detonated the munition after a delay started when the ship began to move. Could be very useful either for the purpose of sinking the ship at or near the entrance of a port, or after the ship was well underway, making salvage extremely difficult or impossible.

[@amperzand9162]

That would involve some kind of more complex system, vs the very minimalistic delay timers used at the time. This would likely mean increased cost and reduced reliability. It would also mean a very real possibility of only one or two mines going off before the defenders realize what's happening and search their ships.

[@beeble2003]

I think your surprise is based on the wide availability of cheap microchips. It's hard to see how such a fuze could work without one.

[@benleese4828]

would love to see more videos on this subject, interesting to see how they developed through the ages.

[@richardwahl6667]

I really enjoy these videos -- they are so well researched and presented. Just as a side note I think the river Ouse is pronounced like ooze -- I grew up in England but I moved to Australia so long ago I'm not 100% sure. Keep up the good work!

[@gerry343]

You're right, Ouse is pronounced Ooze.

[@gowdsake7103]

OHHHH thats what he meant sheesh why can Americans not speak properly

[@dellawrence4323]

@@gowdsake7103 Very true but he isn't American, he is Canadian.

[@JohnyG29]

​@@dellawrence4323 Canada is in continental America, so surely they are Americans (as I suppose are Mexicans, and all other central and south American nations).

[@baijianwei888]

@@JohnyG29Here is one for useless trivia department. Mexico is in North America, along with the US and Canada.

[@davidhughes4089]

Thomas De La Rue made lovely fountain pens, I don't know what else they manufactured but pens to grenades is a bit of a change in company direction 😃

[@user-it7lf7kk8m]

Opposite of swords to ploughshares?😊

[@womble321]

My Father learnt Japanese in Bedford as he worked at Bletchley Park. Glen Miller broadcast to Germany from Bedford. The building still stands. Last time I went the place he stayed in was an old person's home.

[@bok..]

Who did they usually have teaching Japanese? Like would it be a Japanese person or a British guy who learned Japanese in Japan.

[@womble321]

Hi that's the new pool it was tested in an open air pool and Bedford river I used to work nearby. People wanted it preserved for the very reason you said but sadly it was demolished. Btw the river is pronounced "ooze" like oozing mud. The original school frontage is attached to the Harper Shopping centre in the town centre. The pool was by the River.

[@womble321]

The area was full of Spooks. My Father learned Japanese in Bedford so he could translate Japanese codes and tempsford airfield is near buy where spy's left for France. Many manor houses were used for training agents in the Area. And Glen Miller performed concerts that were broad cast to Germany in Bedford Corn exchange.

[@therealchayd]

As someone who lives near and goes to Bedford regularly, I never knew that the frontage for the Harpur Centre was originally part of Bedford school. You learn something new every day!

[@Shrimping]

Great content Gilles.

[@pa1wbu]

Limpet mines were also used to attack Tirpitz, these mines were A. huge compared to the ones shown and B. deposited under Tirpitz by midget submarines.

[@Todd-ml8lx]

You give the rundown good sir. Dates, manufacturers, chemistry or makeup, application, variations, ect. Great channel to learn from, thank you.

[@TheWirksworthGunroom]

A good video. Nice to see some technical detail on KZbin for a change. I would make the observation though that the eight marines on Op Frankton weren't simply killed in action. Two died of hypothermia having capsized on the insertion phase. The remaining six were taken prisoner by the French and handed over to the Germans who murdered them. An important distinction I would venture.

[@ForwardBias]

Your videos are amazing, the quality is always 👌 keep it up 💙

[@drewlovely2668]

Congrats on the sponsorship! Loved the video, thank you

[@mattwilliams3456]

Yay sponsorship! You’ve earned it. The candy ball was certainly a great improvised soluble solution, but wasn’t the only common material the Brits used for a time delay mechanism. In 1940 they modified air dropped naval mines for attacks against the Münster aqueduct which utilized aspirin as the soluble element since its rate was well known and reliable.

[@MichaelEdelman1954]

I’m currently reading Stuart Macrae’s book, “Winston Churchill’s Toyship.” Highly recommended. n.b.: What the Brits called a “canoe,” we would call a kayak. They referred to a kayak as a “Canadian canoe.”

[@neilfurby555]

Quite fascinating, as indeed are all topcs covered on this unique channel! Brilliant as always.

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

👍 Another top drawer video. Thank you.

[@bassett_green]

Oh sick, congrats on getting sponsored 18:14

[@YEET-fe3fw]

Congrats on the first sponsor!!!

[@pkernoob786]

I am so glad I just recently found your channel! You are very good at presenting these things in an easily digestible way. Please do not change. This reminds me of the style of content that was prevalent 5-8 years ago. Before the introduction of the, "notification bell," which I never use and absolutely detest to this day.... When the bell was introduced was when this platform took a nose-dive. I will use it for your channel though. Thank you for bringing back similar content from the peak days of KZbin. Sincerly. Thank you.

[@ChrisAthanas]

6:28 YOUR INTIMIDATION TACTICS DON’T WORK ON ME GILLES

[@the_kingslayer]

You sound exactly like Ian McCollum from @forgottenweapons, and that is awesome 👍

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

Some of those items on your table were included in my ordnance recognition training back in the day as they are not ‘typical’ examples of their ammunition group.

[@NielMalan]

Very interesting. As a Cold War soldier I knew limpet mines as terrorist weapons, and I was under the impression that they were uniquely Soviet in origin, but this video showed me that they had a British heritage.

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

The photo at 5:30 has some noteworthy features. The guys seem to be British, I don't recognise the caps, they are in actual patrol kit. VERY well supplied with Thompsons, and the guy at the back has an MP40. However, the man in the MIDDLE at the back, has some bad-guy gear on him. That is a German map-case on his left hip I think, and his sleeve is CERTAINLY a German field Jacket if you note the sleeve seam. And under his left hand, is the muzzle of another MP-40. So he was armed. What was going on?.

[@makoyoverfelt3320]

Your channel is amazing! Thank you for your work

[@jeffclark2725]

Limpet mine ? Great video, recently just subsribed, Enjoying all of these videos

[@realityshotgun]

This was an awesome video, Gilles! This channel has been the best thing I've found on YT in years. Keep it up, man. You're a great host

[@Galildoughty]

Great video! Subbed!

[@jimsvideos7201]

Thank you for making the trip and for all the research it takes to pull this off.

[@neilwilson5785]

Really interesting. Thank you.

[@LARPing_Services_LLC]

Congratulations on the sponsorship, Mr. Messier. This channel is such an underrated gem and I'm happy to see that it's starting to receive the attention it truly deserves. Have a good one, Sir!

[@donjones4719]

Keep digging into militaria. It's bottomless - I've read about it for decades and watched a lot on YT in the past 5+ years and keep coming across details or devices I've never heard of. I knew about limpet mines but not the variety and exactly how they worked. Never heard about a couple of devices here at all.

[@bradlevantis913]

Imagine placing a mine on the ship, then hoping the delay works properly as you high tail it out of there

[@rickyrico80]

Anti-personell mine is quite the euphemism for blowing human beings into tiny parts device isn't it.

[@loganholmberg2295]

Man I remember visiting Shilo as a kid through army cadets. Getting to walk inside the 155mm mobile howitzer at the time was incredible. I belive the Canadian army has retired those now? Which is a shame.

[@MrBanzoid]

Hi Gilles. Yet another great video. By the way, the river Ouse is pronounced "ooze".

[@donmear6654]

KZbin algorithm finally suggested a channel i want to watch. Great work, love your content

[@glbaker5595]

Excellent

[@billyhouse1943]

Thank you..

[@michaeltroster9059]

Wow. I had no idea there were so many different types of grenades.

[@josephcronin2965]

Cool Video Jen ❤😂

[@georgerobartes2008]

And not forgetting the No 74 Sticky , the " S "Mine , the " M " Mine , the " Horse Shit "mine , the "Coal" Mine , the " Debollocker "........

[@preserveourpbfs7128]

With the introduction of sponsors (which is good, it means you can keep making videos, hopefully), I appreciate adding chapters that include the sponsorship section.

[@bashkillszombies]

So this is why mines how "DO NOT EAT" written on them huh? The forbidden aniseed candy ball! I KNOW YOU'RE HIDING IN THERE, I"M COMING TO LIBERATE YOU!

[@wijpke]

The Brits used potassium chlorate flash mix and was also used as a fuse igniter in mining

[@Radiosutch]

Yay ! Thanks for remembering my island, Guernsey, WAS occupied in WW2

[@51WCDodge]

As was the suprior Island to the south. 😁

[@Stroopwaffe1]

DAMN!!!!!!! I WAS ACTUALLY HMmm, Scuse Me, I thought it was a kit to weaponize a "Room" any room could be transformed into a size of your choice for those moments when your besieged City Capitulates for a Strategic Withdrawl and Overrun and a Jolly good Present for Jerry and the Huns.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

10:17 Those are the fuzes used in the St Nazzaire raid

[@incrediblemichael]

is it possible to create a video about the history of the british no. 74 anti tank handgrenade aka sticky bomb ?

[@GeFlixes]

I've read "RCAM Boom Room" at first, which would've been fitting as well.

[@ste887]

NO.69 grenade, whilst it was designed to reduce shrapnel, i do remember stories from grand-dad about using these with the fly off ribbon and ball, and apparently the ball bearings inside to actuate the detonator would usually be projected back to the user (sods law and all that) and had to be somewhat careful with them, also heard stories about them being very tetchy to being dropped if stored badly. and while he wasn't a fan of those, apparently he was a much bigger fan of it than he was the mills bomb for the stated offensive vs defensive use.

[@Madness832]

Gotta bang outta it!

[@maxpayne2574]

I've always wondered why the Germans used a concussion type not a fragment grenade. They must have seen the grenades' as mostly an offensive weapons.

[@tommeakin1732]

Yeah it's a good thing to ask but doesn't seem to get talked about much. There's likely other tactical reasons, but I can't help but wonder if it's a tactical extension of their strategic ideals of offensive war.

[@robertdeen8741]

I was once told Royal Marine Commandos went to Taranto harbour before the Swordfish and put limpet mines on ships. Have you ever heard about anything like that? The gentleman who told me wasn't one to BS. He also went on and said his job was to mine the dry dock pump houses. It would help to explain why old planes like the String bags did so well.

[@trinovantian1]

Fascinating……..btw River Ouse is pronounced ooze.

[@Stray03]

IIRC it would be a chlorate mixture and not a perchlorate one (the one you see a lot is Potassium chlorate and sugar 50/50, but I would assume any solid fuel would work like you said the germans used Naphthalene). Potassium chlorate flash powder fell out of favor, if the sulfur you mixed it with wasn't quite pure and had some sulfuric acid in it you would have a bad day. Perchlorates took over because they didn't have those issues.

[@MrSabram07]

Great video😂

[@GeneralThargor]

@16:29 Nice! ;)

[@sandgrownun66]

8:16. The River Ouse? Pronounced as "Ooze".

[@Zbigniew_Nowak]

When it comes to unusual grenade mechanisms, a some Pole designed a grenade that had a long ribbon. During the throw, one end of this ribbon was attached to your hand. it was a safeguard against exploding too close to you. Only when the grenade was far enough in the air and the entire ribbon was unwound, the fuse was activated. Ingenious in theory, but the military did not accept it. Apparently, in practice the idea wasn't so great.

[@howardchambers9679]

I've often wondered why the Mills bomb didn't have a stick attachment.

[@terrypitt-brooke8367]

love the thoroughness, can tolerate the sponsorship, but don't like the frequent audio edits.

[@robertdeen8741]

My father once told me how he got major shite for taking pencil dets on a bus in the same bag with explosives. A flutist in the Dutch resistance. He said they had no internet to learn such things.

[@databasekitten]

The channel islands!

[@matt.willoughby]

The river Ouse is pronounced "ooze" to rhyme with shoes 😊

[@happyundertaker6255]

Excelsior “

[@BIG-DIPPER-56]

THANKS - What a Blast ! 😎👍

[@louisriverin2295]

Gilles, your answer: Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm . What is my prize?

[@JohnyG29]

6:24 Wrong, the Channel Islands do not technically form part of the British Isles archipelago.

[@Michael_Brock]

LOL British here, but when I heard Manitoba, I just thought US mid west state, what's royal (Canadian) museum doing there, then 2 second pause, no it's Canada, Midwest Winnipeg.

[@rogerszmodis]

I wonder what the record is for the the same grenade being thrown back and forth

[@faenethlorhalien]

Damn. Amonal. Hadn't heard that word in a long time. It was the explosive of choice of former Basque terrorist organization ETA.

[@jfu5222]

Ammonia nitrate is still used by terrorists, readily available ingredients and fairly easy to make. For better or worse, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

[@julianhuntly9622]

Pronounced River Ooze - not "River Ouse" as in Out ...

[@christophergould3673]

We're on the river ouse was this test done.

[@keithagn]

Hi Gilles, I don't know if you know, but the English Channel Islands were invaded, and occupied by the the Germans in WW2! Regards from the Left Coast of Canada 🇨🇦 😅😅😅

[@somethingelse4878]

Is this your first sponsor video

[@iterativeimprovements1713]

Yes, a previous video was an update video saying he was going to get sponsors for upcoming videos to make the channel more viable.

[@immikeurnot]

The fill was 80% as powerful as commercial ammonal? Isn't commercial ammonal only an RE of .6? Sounds a bit like desperation... Rather have one filled with TNT.

[@Zbigniew_Nowak]

I see a problem with this No.68 Antitank Rifle grenade. That big flat plate at the bottom must have acted as a brake in the air? I understand that it was necessary for the gas from the weapon to hit it, but couldn't this element have fallen off afterwards? Or I don't understand something here.

[@justindunlap1235]

If anything it probably adds drag stabilization, like a shuttlecock. The extra drag and weight imbalance should help the shaped charge be in the correct orientation when it contacts the tank. Otherwise I could see that thing tumbling like crazy at the low speed it would have been launching.

[@Zbigniew_Nowak]

@@justindunlap1235 Your theory makes sense, but on the other hand, other anti-tank rifle grenades like the PGN-60 fly straight without this additional brake.

[@Breakingcraft]

*boom boom boom*

[@tz8785]

Even if you don't think a war is coming any time soon, how could anyone consider a grenade adequate with a production rate of less than 100 per year?

[@bchin4005]

"Nice"

[@JCWren]

They'd have been really happy if they had neodymium magnets available to them in those days.,

[@robonator2945]

"give 'em the 69" "okay" "no wai- WAIT WAI-"

[@jackthebassman1]

Excellent, very enjoyable posts; by the way, the river Ouse is pronounced OOZ, yea I know it’s British lol

[@JohnyG29]

English*. And it's spelt as it's pronounced. Ou-se (which sounds like ooze).

[@jeepee71]

​@@JohnyG29As in Mighty Mooze, or Hooze Music.

[@snowflakemelter1172]

River ouse is pronounced as In " booze" .

[@finlayfraser9952]

River Owse? No, the River Ouse is prounounced "ooze". Just saying, pedants must stick together!

[@gerry343]

I wonder why the British did not continue the fitting of handles to their grenades. The German stick grenade served well through two world wars.

[@pyro1047]

They also mostly replaced it with the Eihandgranate M39 aka "The Egg Grenade". Going as far as to basically replace the Stielhandgranate M24, by replacing its warhead with a Eihandgranate style head on the M43 Stielhandgranate. I think in the end it comes down to manufacturing cost and logistics, having the handle adds a whole new production line just to produce, shape, and hollow out those dowels; and they take up more space meaning less can be picked per crate and carried per soldier. Why add all those extra steps, costs, and headaches; when you can just shape the grenade body itself to he held and thrown easier? That's why the M67 is shaped like a Baseball, it was literally a psy-op knowing a lot of American kids grew up playing baseball,, so they made the grenade as close to one as they could so troops would be naturals at yeeting frags with pinpoint accuracy (As long as they were a good pitcher).

[@HSstriker]

as i understand it has to do with the most popular past-time activities for men. in germany dog training was very popular at the time wich meant they were already trained in trowing sticks. while in the UK it was cricket wich meant they were more proficient in throwing balls. it meant less training with grenades.