British, WW1, 18-Pounder Shrapnel Shell (Sectioned Cutaway) fitted with No. 85 Time & Percussion Fuse – Dated 1915, Marked “B.S.C. No 85”, Inert

*British, WW1, 18-Pounder Shrapnel Shell (Sectioned Cutaway) fitted with No. 85 Time & Percussion Fuse – Dated 1915, Marked “B.S.C. No 85”, Inert*

A superb instructional cutaway example of the British 18-pounder field-gun shrapnel shell, Lot 791 / 1915, complete with its original U.S.-manufactured No. 85 Time & Percussion Fuse. The brass fuse has been sectioned to display the intricate clockwork delay train, graze striker and flash passages, while the shell body reveals the main cavity and driving-band assembly. The interior is neatly highlighted in red and black for training use.

The fuse is clearly stamped “B.S.C. [boxed S] No 85”, identifying production by the Bethlehem Steel Company of Pennsylvania for the British Government under the 1915–16 Purchasing Commission contracts. The boxed “S” is likely to be an internal inspection mark used within Bethlehem’s ordnance division. The graduated dial runs from 0 to 21 seconds, confirming the later No. 85 pattern rather than the British-made No. 80, which was scaled to 22 seconds.

The shell base bears impressed marks including “8 ’ 23” and traces of its Lot 791 inspection number, typical of British ordnance factory coding for 18-pounder projectiles of the period.

Measurements: Height: 28 cm (11 in.). Base diameter: 8 cm (3.15 in.). Weight: 8 lb 5 oz (3.77 kg)

Historical Note:
Before the United States entered the Great War in 1917, its heavy-industry firms supplied vast quantities of munitions to Britain and France. The No. 85 Time & Percussion Fuze was a British designation applied to a fuse made in America to U.K. thread standards and adapted from the U.S. Model 1907 pattern. It incorporated a vented nose with a small protective “hat” for gas release, a maximum combustion time of 23 seconds (graduated to 21 on the dial), and a percussion system secured by two centrifugal safety bolts which armed between 1850 and 2150 rpm.

The fuse was issued mainly with QF 13-pounder and QF 18-pounder shrapnel shells. Millions were shipped across the Atlantic, and it is believed that cargoes of such fuses were among the munitions aboard the ill-fated RMS Lusitania in 1915. The type remained in service until superseded by improved post-war designs.

*Condition*
Excellent instructional section, showing cleanly machined interior and original fuze with crisp markings. External finish well preserved with light age patina and minor handling wear. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.

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