Grenade Hand Smoke C3

[Chris Suslowicz]

I'm on the wrong side of the pond, but I think those are the tins they were issued in. (Taped on lids for waterproofing, etc.)

Contents were probably the Canadian equivalent of the No.83 British smoke grenade, used as a position marker for aircraft, etc.

The ones not marked with a colour may be "screening smoke" which is grey/white (also known as 'HC') and is filled with a mixture of powdered zinc and hexachloroethane. (It produces toxic fumes (hydrochloric acid) in use.)

The coloured smoke versions use a variety of dyes to give the colour, and the pyrotechnic mix has to be fairly cool burning or it will destroy the dyestuff.

All of them get hot enough to burn the paint off the grenade casing when used and can start fires in dry conditions.

(The HC mix can go-off spontaneously if manufactured in damp conditions, as a certain firework manufacturer discovered to their cost when an entire production batch (for base-ejection artillery shell) went off in their magazines. Oops!)

Chris.