Jam tin grenade

The Double Cylinder, No 8 and No 9 hand grenades were early designs used by the British in World War I.

Overview

The Jam-Tin (or Double Cylinder) was one of the many grenades designed for British use in the early part of the First World War in response to the failings of the No 1 grenade.

The grenade was an inner can of explosive with an outer can of metal fragments or ball bearings. The heavy pattern No 9 grenade contained more HE and more shrapnel.

The fuse was ignited by a friction device (or a cigarette)

Initially when demand for grenades was at it's greatest, Engineers were encouraged to improvise their own grenades from the tins containing the soldiers ration of jam, hence the name. Incidents with the improvised form and the supply of superior grenades led to official withdrawl of the design.