Mills bomb rifle grenade by attaching a metallic rod to its base. This rod-type rifle-grenade had an effective range of about 150 yards. The operating procedure was to insert the Mills bomb rod down the barrel of a standard rifle, put a special blank cartridge in the rifle's chamber, place the rifle stock on the ground, then pull the Mills bomb's safety pin, releasing the safety spoon and immediately fire the rifle. If the soldier did not launch the grenade quickly, the grenade's fuse would time out and explode. The British soon developed a simple cradle attached to the rifle's bayonet lug
Religion in Birmingham and surrounding district continued to grow throughout this period with a number of churches and religious houses being established. The growth in Catholic numbers in the 19th Century was fuelled partly by Irish immigration, and a mix of anti-popery and xenophobia led to some confrontations in the town, notably the Murphy Riots of 1867. However, there was relatively little strife and Catholics in Birmingham began to be accepted by the establishment of the town. Birmingham became an archdiocese in 1911, and the Catholic population continued to grow along with the city, helped by further waves of immigration, primarily from Ireland,