S.O.E. Switch No.8 MkI

Not often found even in rather advanced collections of S.O.E./O.S.S. materials, is the very rare British anti-personnel No. 8 MkI. Dropped to the resistance by the SOE during WWII, the switch consisted of a 5 7/8" hollow spike which was pushed into the ground. Originally they were designed to fire a .303 when stepped on or driven over. Later they were re-designed to use a special .38 caliber rimless cartridge firing a steel projectile. The mechanism works on a spring loaded firing rod which is held in place by a wire catch. A sleeve and firing pin slip over the end of the firing rod. Once in place in the ground, the cartridge is inserted, the projectile part pointing upwards and just nicely protruding above the ground. If depressed by a foot or tire, the downward pressure released the spring driving the firing pin into the cartridge primer. There are 3 variations of the No.8 MkI:

1. Earliest type uses standard .303 service round
2. Uses a rimless .38 cartridge, the flange (washer) is pressed on (no flange on spike)
3. Uses a rimless .38 cartridge, the flange (washer) slides on the spike from the bottom and is held in place by a flare on the spike.

About the only thing scarcer than these switches are the special cartridges they fired. In my 40 years in this business, I have not owned even one, nor have seen an actual example.

Type 2 is available for $550 US, Type 3 is not for sale

Type 2.

Type 3.

We are looking for actual examples of the cartridge this device fired...
if you have one for sale, please contact us.

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