NOVEL MONEY BOX

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 69, 22 March 1941, Page 7

NOVEL MONEY BOX

ITALIAN BOMB.

WAR SOUVENIR FOR BOY.

It looked like a new toy of some sort. Made of light aluminium, painted red in parts, white in others and with a hood painted black, it reminded one of the I tainted pillar-box toy that used to Ih\ popular with children. But it wasn't aj toy. It was a nasty, death-dealing! missile once and bad been sent from the: Western Desert by an officer of the New Zealand Engineers, to a nephew, who resides in an Auckland suburb. It willj now "become a depository for the boy's] spare coppers—a money-ibox. |

A glance at the picture above will be interesting to any who have had expedience of bombs. What the Italians call lit has not been revealed, but, compared with the Mills it is an insignificant weapon. In the dome of the bomb is a ball and striker-pin. This is held by |a release pin, to which is attached a [leather tab. Also passing through the jbomb is a safety arrangement which is i attached to the hood that covers the dome. When the release pin is extracted, the bomb is still harmless as long as the hood remains on the -bomb,! for it is when this becomes detachedj that the infernal mechanism is set in' motion.

When the hood falls away from the bomb, it carries with it a dividing section. This section holds the striking pin, which is surmounted by an iron ball, in the dome. When the striking pin is released, on contact with any object, it strikes the detonator and consequently the charge, which are contained in the lower portion or body of the bomb, and causes the explosion. Old soldiers would call the bomb "tinny." It is made of light aluminium and tin, has no serrated, iron body like the much-hated (and dearlv-loved Mills) but may have a fairly high explosive effect.

J Needless to say, the bomb that was brought into the "Star" office to-day, had had its "sting" removed and was 1 harmless. - j