British, WWI, 18-Pounder High-Explosive Projectile with Time Fuze, Relic Condition, Inert

*British, WWI, 18-Pounder High-Explosive Projectile with Time Fuze, Relic Condition, Inert*

A First World War British 18-pounder high-explosive projectile, measuring approximately 24cm in overall length (excluding fuze), with a base diameter of 8cm. The projectile retains its original copper driving band and comes complete with an 18-pounder time fuze, approximately 8cm tall (including threaded section) and 6.4cm in diameter. The body exhibits heavy corrosion and pitting consistent with long-term burial, while the fuze retains traces of its graduated time ring and stepped form, though deformed and worn. The interior is hollow and inert, with no explosive filling present.

Historical Note
The Ordnance QF 18-pounder was the standard British field gun of the First World War, introduced in 1904 and serving throughout the conflict. Its shells were fitted with a variety of fuzes for different purposes—time fuzes for airburst shrapnel and high-explosive, percussion fuzes for impact detonation. The stepped brass time fuze on this example allowed gunners to set the shell to burst at a precise interval after firing. The 18-pounder’s combination of mobility, accuracy, and rapid fire rate made it a mainstay of British artillery from the opening battles of 1914 through to the Armistice in 1918.

*Condition*
Projectile in relic condition, with extensive surface corrosion and pitting throughout. Copper driving band shows wear but remains intact. Fuze heavily corroded, deformed at the tip, with graduations partly visible. Shell interior hollow and fully inert. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.

JAQFO_2533080525