Hello Historians!
I went to visit my grandfather and he gave me this grenade as a gift. My great-grandfather was in WWI, fighting in Verdun, France when he was 16 (he was German).
I think it's a rifle grenade. It says "The Cotton Powder Co. Ltd. Hayes Patent London. 7 M/M." Why would a German have this grenade?
Also, I don't know if it's safe or if it has been disarmed. How do I know that? I would love not to blow up any time soon. I'm living in Mexico, so I'm sure if it hasn't detonated in ~104 years and on the trip from France>Germany>Mexico, it's not that dangerous.
Thanks a lot for the help!
I think explosive safety overrides the posting rules here.
#ASSUME IT IS A LIVE EXPLOSIVE.
Contact your local authorities. Tell them you have acquired a munition that may be live. Get them to remove it safely.
#DO NOT MOVE IT, INSPECT IT, OR OTHERWISE MESS ABOUT.
Until an expert in explosives has inspected it and declared it safe, it is a live weapon that could kill you at any time. These things turn up all the time. A worrying proportion are still dangerous. Are you prepared to bet your life that this one has been safed?
Am I the only one wondering how you got it from Europe to Mexico?
