WW1 TUNNELLERS EXPLODER, 1914

Used during WW1 by Tunnellers for generating enough power to fire the detonator used for High Explosive, when the plunger is pushed down it turns a generator which supplies a high voltage necessary to travel the long lines to the charge.

Your comments:

• This is an "Exploder, Dynamo, MkV" or the modified variant "Exploder, Dynamo, MkV*". Dating from early WW1, these were the general service demolitions exploder used by the Royal Engineers. they were still in service in early-mid WW2, although already declared "obsolete" by 1942. The outside of the wooden case was painted white (I think you can still see some of the white paint on this example in the cracks and joints)and its details (or sometimes, just the word "Exploder") stencilled in black. Its shotfiring capability of 10 detonatrs in series was replaced by the "Exploder, Dynamo, MkVII" which could fire up to 15 detonators in series (and which itself had its shotfiring capability increased to 36 detonators in the 'longstoke' modification of 1942).
  .......... Rob Fenn, Hemel Hempstead, 22nd of August 2014
  
  

A0773