BL 10-pounder mountain gun

Ordnance BL 10-pounder mountain gun
Ordnance BL 10-pounder mountain gun
	Indian Army 10 pounder mountain gun and crew, Gallipoli, 1915
Type	Mountain gun
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1901–1918
Used by	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; British Raj
Wars	World War I
Production history
Manufacturer	Woolwich Arsenal, Elswick Ordnance Company (UK)
Variants	MK I
Specifications
Mass	Breech: 207 lb (93.9 kg); Barrel: 197 lb (89.36 kg); Total: 874 lb (396.4 kg)[1]
Barrel length	Bore: 72.4 in (1.8 m); Total: 76.4 in (1.9 m)[1]
Shell	Shrapnel, Common shell[2] 10 pounds (4.54 kg)
Calibre	2.75 inches (69.8 mm)
Action	Breech Loading with separate shell and charge
Recoil	None
Carriage	Wheeled, box trail
Elevation	-15° – 25°[1]
Traverse	0°
Muzzle velocity	1,289 ft/s (393 m/s)[1]
Effective firing range	3,700 yards (3,383 m) (Time Fuze); 6,000 yards (5,486 m) (Percussion fuze)[1]

The Ordnance BL 10 pounder mountain gun [3] was developed as a BL successor to the RML 2.5 inch screw gun which was outclassed in the Second Boer War.

History

This breech-loading gun was an improvement on the 2.5 inches (63.5 mm) muzzle-loading screw gun but still lacked any recoil absorber or recuperator mechanism. It could be dismantled into 4 loads of approximately 200 pounds (90.7 kg) for transport, typically by mule.

It was originally manufactured without a Gun shield, but these were made and fitted locally during World War I, at Nairobi in 1914 for the East Africa campaign, and at Suez in 1915 for the Gallipoli campaign.[4]

It was eventually replaced by the BL 2.75 inch Mountain Gun from 1914 onwards but was still the main mountain gun in service when World War I began.

Combat service

British mountain guns were operated by men of the Royal Garrison Artillery.

World War I

Guns of the 26th Mountain Battery of the Indian Army were the first British Empire artillery to open fire in the Middle East in World War I, on 26 January 1915, Qantara (Kantara), against the Turkish advance towards the Suez Canal.[4]

The gun was used notably in the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915 by two Indian Army units, the 21st (Kohat) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) and 26th (Jacobs) Mountain Battery of the 7th Indian Mountain Brigade with 6 guns each at Anzac, and by the Scottish Territorial Force unit, the 4th Highland (Mountain) Brigade, Royal Garrison Artillery (Argyllshire and Ross & Cromarty Batteries with 4 guns each) at Helles and then Suvla. The 21st Battery was granted the title "Royal" in 1922 for its actions including Gallipoli, unique for an artillery battery.[4]

Sgt Paterson, 4th Highland (Mountain) Brigade, circa. 1915.

There is some evidence that the Turkish defenders on Gallipoli were also using the 10 pounder, bought prewar from New Zealand, as the ANZACs discovered 10 pounder shell bodies fired at them made in India which were not from their own guns.[5][6]

In the East Africa campaign, the following Indian batteries used the 10 pounder with distinction in constant action :-

27th Mountain Battery (6 guns), part of the Indian Expeditionary Force C, from 27 August 1914 to 2 January 1918.
28th Mountain Battery with 6 guns arrived with Indian Expeditionary Force B from 30 October 1914, returned to India December 1916. 28th Battery's first engagement occurred with the guns tied to the deck of HM Transport ship Bharata, firing in support of the unsuccessful British attempt to capture Tanga on 3 & 4 November 1914.[7] Gunner Mehr Khan was awarded the Indian Distinguished Service Medal and Subadar-Major Nur Allam was awarded the Order of British India for their actions in 28th Battery defending Jasin on 18 January 1915.[8]
1st Kashmir (4 guns) arrived 5 December 1916, returned to India 2 February 1918. Between them the 1st and 27th were awarded 2 Order Of British India, 1 Indian Distinguished Service Medal, 7 Meritorious Service Medals, 12 Mentioned in Despatches.[9]
24th Hazara Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) served in East Africa from 26 April 1917, taking up the 6 guns left by 28th Battery.[10] A typical extract from their War Diary reads : "Ndundwala 2nd July 1917... one section came into action and fired 87 rounds shrapnel at enemy holding river crossing place at range 750 yards. Forward observer reported three direct hits on his breastworks. Sniping continued" 19 August 1917 : "constructed an emplacement within 150 yards of enemy... tubes which were dated 1901 are very bad and several misfires occurred... during last 15 days fired 548 shrapnel, 35 common and 4 star shells at average range of 1,000 yards".[11] They returned to India in November 1918.
22nd (Derajat) Mountain Battery (Frontier Force) arrived in the East Africa campaign on 18 December 1916, when they relieved the 28th Battery which returned to India.[12] They appear to have initially used 10 pounders and re-equipped with 3.7 inches (94.0 mm) howitzers some time later, as Farndale reports they first used their 3.7 inches (94.0 mm) howitzers in action in the attack on German positions at Medo, 11 April 1918.[13] They returned to India in November 1918.

The gun was also used in the Palestine campaign.

Surviving examples

10 Pounder Mountain Gun on display at the Royal Artillery Museum

A restored gun is on display at the Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich, London Archived 26 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine

Notes and references

Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 41
Common shell were "Special for India" (Treatise on Ammunition 1915, page 159). References will be found to Indian mountain batteries using common shell in World War I.
Britain typically designated smaller ordnance by the weight of its standard projectile rather than calibre. Hence this gun typically fired a projectile weighing approximately 10 pounds (4.5 kg).
Farndale 1988
Major A. C. Fergusson 21 (Kohat) Mountain Battery, writing in 1916. Reprinted in "The Gallipolian" No.85 – Winter 1997
CEW Bean,"THE OFFICIAL HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA IN THE WAR OF 1914–1918 Volume II" page 65. 11th Edition, published by Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1941
Farndale 1988, page 307-309
Farndale 1988, page 313-314
Farndale, page 351
Farndale 1988, page 344
Farndale 1988, page 345, 346
Farndale 1988, page 338
Farndale 1988, page 351

Bibliography

Dale Clarke, British Artillery 1914–1919. Field Army Artillery. Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2004 ISBN 1-84176-688-7
General Sir Martin Farndale, "History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base, 1914–18". London : The Royal Artillery Institution, 1988. ISBN 1-870114-05-1
I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914–1918. London:Ian Allan, 1972. ISBN 978-0-7110-0381-1
1970s Command Magazine SCREW GUN article with rare photos and art work

External links

Handbook for 10 – pr. jointed B. L. gun, mule equipment, 1902 at State Library of Victoria
Handbook for 10 – pr. jointed B. L. gun, mule equipment, 1904 at State Library of Victoria
Diagram of gun and carriage and photograph of gun at Firepower Archived 28 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine from Victorian Forts and Artillery website
10 pounder Mountain Gun at Landships

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[Hogg&Thurston1972page41-1] Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 41

[2] Common shell were "Special for India" (Treatise on Ammunition 1915, page 159). References will be found to Indian mountain batteries using common shell in World War I.

[3] Britain typically designated smaller ordnance by the weight of its standard projectile rather than calibre. Hence this gun typically fired a projectile weighing approximately 10 pounds (4.5 kg).

[Farndale-4] Farndale 1988

[5] Major A. C. Fergusson 21 (Kohat) Mountain Battery, writing in 1916. Reprinted in "The Gallipolian" No.85 – Winter 1997

[6] CEW Bean,"THE OFFICIAL HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA IN THE WAR OF 1914–1918 Volume II" page 65. 11th Edition, published by Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1941

[7] Farndale 1988, page 307-309

[8] Farndale 1988, page 313-314

[9] Farndale, page 351

[10] Farndale 1988, page 344

[11] Farndale 1988, page 345, 346

[12] Farndale 1988, page 338

[13] Farndale 1988, page 351

British Empire artillery of the First World War
Armoured vehicle guns	QF 3-pounder Vickers QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss QF 6-pounder 6 cwt
Infantry guns	1.59-inch breech-loading Vickers Q.F. gun, Mk II
Field artillery	BL 12-pounder 6 cwt QF 12-pounder 8 cwt QF 12-pounder 18 cwt QF 13-pounder BL 15-pounder BLC 15-pounder QF 15-pounder QF 18-pounder QF 4-inch gun Mk III BL 4-inch gun Mk VII QF 4.5-inch howitzer
Medium & heavy artillery	QF 4.7-inch gun BL 5-inch howitzer BL 5.4-inch howitzer BL 60-pounder gun BLC 6-inch siege gun BL 6-inch gun Mk VII BL 6-inch gun Mk XIX BL 6-inch 26 cwt howitzer BL 6-inch 30 cwt howitzer BL 8-inch howitzer Mk I – V BL 8-inch howitzer Mk VI – VIII
Siege artillery	BL 7.5-inch Mk III naval gun BL 9.2-inch howitzer BL 9.2-inch Mk X naval gun BL 12-inch howitzer BL 12-inch Mk X naval gun BL 15-inch howitzer
Mountain artillery	RML 2.5-inch mountain gun BL 10-pounder mountain gun BL 2.75-inch mountain gun QF 2.95-inch mountain gun QF 3.7-inch mountain howitzer
Mortars	Garland trench mortar 3-inch Stokes mortar Vickers 1.57-inch mortar 2-inch medium mortar Newton 6-inch mortar 9.45-inch Heavy Mortar
Smoke and chemical weapons	4-inch Stokes Mortar Livens Projector Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector
Anti-aircraft guns	QF 1-pounder pom-pom QF 2-pounder "pom-pom" Mk II 75 mm AA gun QF 12-pounder 12 cwt QF 13-pounder 6 cwt QF 13-pounder Mk IV QF 13-pounder 9 cwt QF 3-inch 20 cwt QF 18-pounder QF 4-inch Mk V
Coastal artillery	QF 12-pounder 12 cwt QF 4-inch naval gun Mk I – III BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun BL 9.2-inch Mk IX – X naval gun RML 9-inch
Railway guns	BL 9.2-inch railway gun BL 12-inch railway gun BL 12-inch railway howitzer BL 14-inch railway gun