William Mills ( inventor ) Sir William Mills ( 24 April 1856 - 1932 ) of Sunderland was the inventor of the Mills bomb which was developed and manufactured at his factory in Birmingham , England . The Mills bomb was the hand grenade most widely used by British and Imperial forces during the First World War . He was knighted in 1922 . Early life . William Mills was born on 24 April 1856 in Wear Street , Southwick , Sunderland . He was the son of David Mills , a shipbuilder , and his wife Sarah Ann Kirkaldy . It was recorded by the Sunderland historian James Watson Corder that David Mills had an interest in the Sunderland - based Mills shipbuilding firm , however it was actually run by his brothers George and John . By 1871 , William Mills and his family had moved to 22 Camden Street , Sunderland . David Mills was recorded as a joiner in the Census taken that year . William was a butcher , however he soon switched careers and began a seven - year apprenticeship with George Clarke , the famous Marine Engineers of Sunderland . After completing his apprenticeship , Mills spent seven years at sea , obtaining a first class Certificate as a Marine Engineer in 1884 . It was during his time at sea that Mills witnessed great loss of life caused by the unsafe engaging and disengaging methods used on ship lifeboats . The experience prompted him to invent a simple , safe and efficient method , which was first exhibited at the Liverpool Shipowners ' Exhibition in 1886 . Mills was awarded a Gold Medal by the Mercantile Marine Service ' s Assoiation for his efforts , as well as an Exhibition Gold Medal . The Board of Trade quickly approved his design and it came into worldwide use in both naval and merchant vessels . Down to business . After leaving the sea , Mills went into business as a General Engineer in Sunderland in 1885 , when he established the first Aluminium foundry in the United Kingdom at The Atlas Works , Bonnersfield . Monkwearmouth . It was here that he produced some of Britain ' s earliest aluminium golf clubs - Patent , No 13545 . known as Metallic Golfing Instrument Heads . He was a keen golfer and had joined a the Wearside Golf Club in around 1892 . Apart from his company in Sunderland , Mills also set up a company in Birmingham of the same name , which produced castings for the motor car and aircraft industries . His bombs . Early in 1915 , Mills opened the Mills Munitions Factory in Birmingham , making the Mills Bomb Hand Grenade . Until then , grenades had often proved as deadly to the thrower as to the intended target . The first grenade used when war broke out in 1914 was a cast - iron canister on an 18 - inch stick , which was dangerous to use because it often caught on the trench front when lobbed . Sir William carried out extensive research into common design faults and came up with his own grenade , which had a central spring - loaded firing - pin and spring - loaded lever locked by a pin . A four - second time fuse allowed the thrower to take cover before it exploded . His bombs were used exclusively and successfully by the British and other Allies throughout the war and 75 , 000 , 000 were supplied . His services were rewarded by a Knighthood in 1922 . Other inventions . Besides the hand grenade and golf clubs , Mills was also the inventor of the Patent Instantaneous Engaging and Disengaging Gear for Ships and Boats . It was used worldwide and had a great reputation for efficiency and for life saving . Another of his inventions was a telescopic walking stick seat . Sir William Mills was an active member of the Executive of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce , Chairman of the James Watt Centenary Committee and , in his spare time , a collector of pictures , china and antiques . Death . Mills died in 1932 at Weston - super - Mare . He had been married for about 40 years , although his wife died two years before him . He left £37 , 839 in his will - a relatively small sum for a world - renowned inventor with no children . He received £27 , 750 from the Government for his Mills Bomb invention , but failed in his efforts to avoid paying income tax on the money . Indeed , he claimed to have lost money on the grenade .