Northover Projector

Particulars:

Weight:	74 lbs.
Barrel:	3 ft. 10 ins.
Calibre:	2.6 ins.

This was the simplest Home Guard weapon devised. It consisted of about half a dozen components and looked like a section of drain pipe on legs. It was sighted from 50 to 200 yards in 25 yard divisions. The aim of the device was to propel grenades by using a small explosive propellant charge. The projector was operated by pulling back a cocking handle which, when released by the trigger, would release the firing pin on to a percussion cap placed on the propellant charge.
The grenade used in the Northover projector was the green cap SIP grenade, the Nº 36 grenade or the Nº 68 grenade. The crew consisted of two gunners and a commander.
There were some 'home made' variations of the Northover projector. Some had the legs removed and were placed on wheeled carriages to make transportation easier. A slightly more elaborate version was designed by two members of the Buckinghamshire Home Guard. They produced a Northover 'Revolver' Projector which had a five-chambered revolving magazine. Each of the chambers was loaded from the front, the magazine was rotated using a ratchet lever, operated by hand. As each chamber came in line with the barrel, the trigger self-cocked and then just had to be fired. This projector weighed 86lb and could easily be operated by two men.