WW1 Military Motors - 1916 set x 50 cards

[kevinrowlinson]

Perhaps someone would be kind enough to say which photos show the Elswick guns, and/or if any photo has already been shown.I thought there was one in 3872, which Keith described as a Mk IV, but obviously that shown in 3892 and 3897 are different even taking in to account " You can most easily tell the difference by looking at the double-buffer arrangements. On the Mk III the two are a similar length. On the Mk IV they are clearly different lengths." I did think that those shown in 3892 and 3897 were the same even if the shields are different, and depending on when the photos were taken may have been modified at any time.

I have the embarkation dates for two of the first sections but as yet not definitively seen the other two. Perhaps Keith you could please confirm the sections, their embarkations dates and your source just for confirmation.

Kevin

[Rockdoc]

kevrow, the only Elswick gun in this sequence I can identify with certainty is in No. 3872. The example officially photographed and which appears in Hogg & Thurston is on a Thorneycroft chassis and has some unusual mudguards for the rear wheels and is identical to the two guns used by 99th AAS. Unfortunately, the angle of the gun to the photographer in No. 3892 makes it tricky to be sure but the enlargement in the next post makes things clearer and strongly suggests this is a converted RHA gun. The difference here is the way that the buffers are attached to the breech casting. The RHA gun has the attachment fixture towards the opening end of the breech casting as the operation of the screwed breech block doesn't need any space around its periphery. The Nordenfelt breech, used the the French 75mm and the Elswick guns, is operated by a lever that rotates through 180 degrees. To give the operator a clear space the fixing on these guns is at the barrel end of the breech casting.

In No 3897 the top of the upper buffer is missing but, comparing it with the guns shown in Hogg & Thurston, I think that this is another RHA gun. In this case it's the design of the central support for the buffers. On the RHA guns it's wider, which this appears to be.

LF, I have no doubt whatsoever that the Mark 2 HA mount was used on the Western Front. It made for a lighter and better balanced set-up as one of the buffers was removed. Once the design had been approved it would have superseded the Mark 1 and all subsequent production would have been to the later design. The Mark 1 was a bit of a rush job so would have been seen as ripe for improvement almost immediately.

Keith

[kevinrowlinson]

....The difference here is the way that the buffers are attached to the breech casting. The RHA gun has the attachment fixture towards the opening end of the breech casting as the operation of the screwed breech block doesn't need any space around its periphery. The Nordenfelt breech, used the the French 75mm and the Elswick guns, is operated by a lever that rotates through 180 degrees. To give the operator a clear space the fixing on these guns is at the barrel end of the breech casting.

In No 3897 the top of the upper buffer is missing but, comparing it with the guns shown in Hogg & Thurston, I think that this is another RHA gun. In this case it's the design of the central support for the buffers. On the RHA guns it's wider, which this appears to be.

Keith

So your, "You can most easily tell the difference by looking at the double-buffer arrangements. On the Mk III the two are a similar length. On the Mk IV they are clearly different lengths" was just for that particular post which purports to be 1914/15 and your references to Mk III and Mk IV for that time. Therefore some RHA guns may have different length buffers depending on what you see?

Can you please confirm first sections and embarkations and source please?

Kevin

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Perhaps someone would be kind enough to say which photos show the Elswick guns.

Kevin,

To answer your question, and also to help myself better understand the two different types of guns and mounts shown in post 3871 and 3872, I made a summary and photographs of each type.

At least two of the 13 pdr AA guns sent to France in November 1914, are shown in post 3871, and probably all were mounted on LGOC B-Type lorries.

Those guns shown in post 3871 are 13 pdr Mk 3 guns fitted with a set of double spring recuperators mounted on top of the barrel, with both the recuperator casings being of equal length as shown in the attached pair of photographs.

One photograph shows the Mk 3 gun with a set of double recuperators, with both recuperator casings being the same length, fitted on a Mk 1 mount, and the other photograph shows details of those same type of recuperators on the Mk 3 gun in post 3871.

Both photographs, also show the guns as having the same type of smaller oblong side-shield.

Whereas the 13 pdr gun shown in post 3872 is a Mk 4, and it has a completely different set of double recuperators, with the top recuperator casing being much longer than the bottom casing.

Also, the side-shield is a much larger square shape.

Attached are 2 photographs of the Mk 4 gun with double recuperators, with the top casing being much longer than the bottom casing fitted on a Mk 1 mount, and the other photograph shows details of that same type of double recuperator on the Mk 4 gun shown in post 3872.

Both photographs, also show the guns as also having the same larger square side-shield.

So clearly, we have 2 different 13 pounder guns, the Mk 3 shown in post 3871 and the Mk 4 shown in post 3872, and 2 different types of side-shields, the smaller oblong shield and the larger square shield, with both guns using the Mk 1 High Angle mount.

Now this is where it gets interesting, particularly when relying on Hogg & Thurston's information.

Hogg & Thurston refer to a converted 13 pdr AA Gun being approved and issued for Home Defence in October 1914, that gun was known as the 13 Pounder 6 cwt Quick Firing Mk 3 Anti-Aircraft Gun, and that is the gun and mount shown in post 3871 mounted on the LGOC B-Type lorry, and those were the guns sent to France in November 1914.

Hogg & Thurston then go on to say, that in early 1915, Elswick offered the Army 6 new 13 Pounder Mk 4 guns. One of which was stationed at Enfield Lock in May 1915 to protect the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, and eventually all 6

' Elswick ' guns were sent to France, and the gun shown in post 3872 is one of those 13 Pounder QF Mk 4 Anti-Aircraft Guns identified by the upper recuperator casing being longer than the lower recuperator casing.

That Mk 4 Gun shown in post 3872 also has the larger square side-shield, and was mounted on an early version of the Thornycroft J-Type lorry.

Now, if one of those Mk 4 ' Elswick ' guns was stationed at Enfield Lock in May 1915 before being sent to France with the other Mk 4s, then it had to have been in the latter half of 1915. If so, then the original IWM caption stating that the gun shown in 3872 was one of those sent to France in November 1914 with Capt. Mortimer's 4th Division, is obviously incorrect.

Also attached, is a photograph of an early version of the Thornycroft J-Type mounted with the same 13 pdr Mk 4 QF 6 cwt AA Gun as shown in post 3872.

This early Thornycroft lorry does not have the later design of swing-out metal spars which carried the stabilizer jacks, nor does it have the rear ammunition locker, however, it does have the early drop-down rear-wheel covers, which were lowered over the side of the firing platform when the gun was in the firing position, as shown in the attached photograph.

The ' AF ' mark on the lorry's bonnet, indicates that antifreeze has been added to the radiator.

The lack of any W^D Census Number, indicates that this lorry was still in Britain at the time the photograph was taken.

In the first 2 photographs, one shows the Mk 3 13 pdr gun on a Mk 1 mount with the gun's double recuperator casings being of equal length, and the other shows details of those same recuperators in post 3871. Both photographs, also show the guns as having the same type of smaller oblong side-shield. These were the guns sent to France in November 1914.

LF

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Attached are 2 photographs of the Mk 4 13 pounder 6 cwt QF Anti-Aircraft Gun on a Mk 1 High Angle mount, showing the gun's top recuperator casing to be longer than the bottom recuperator casing, with the other photograph showing details of the recuperators in post 3872.

Both photographs, also show the guns as having the same larger square side-shield.

These were the 6 ' Elswick ' guns sent to France in the latter half of 1915.

LF

These images are reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Attached, is a photograph of an early version of the Thornycroft J-Type lorry mounted with the same Mk 4 13 pdr 6 cwt QF AA Gun on a Mk 1 mount as that shown in post 3872.

Also note the large square side-shield, as shown in post 3872.

This early Thornycroft lorry, does not have the later design of swing-out metal spars which carried the stabilizer jacks, nor does it have the rear ammunition locker, however, it does have the early drop-down rear-wheel arch covers, which were lowered over the side of the firing platform when the gun was in the firing position, as shown in the attached photograph.

The ' AF ' mark on the lorry's bonnet, indicates that antifreeze had been added to the radiator.

The lack of any W^D Census Number, indicates that this lorry was still in Britain at the time the photograph was taken.

This Mk 4 gun mounted on the Thornycroft lorry, is one of the 6 ' Elswick ' guns purchased by the Army from Elswick in early 1915, and sent to France in the latter half of 1915.

LF

Hogg & Thurston British Artillery Weapons 1914-18 This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[kevinrowlinson]

Your post 3897

Hogg & Thurston reports that one of the 6 original 13 pdrs purchased from Elswick, was stationed at Enfield Lock in May 1915 to provide AA protection to the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, and that gun, along with the other 5 were all sent to France in November 1914, which date Keith was able to confirm.

Regards,

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Kevin,

To answer your question, and also to help myself better understand the two different types of guns and mounts shown in post 3871 and 3872, I made a summary and photographs of each type.

At least two of the 13 pdr AA guns sent to France in November 1914, are shown in post 3871, and probably all were mounted on LGOC B-Type lorries.

Also, the side-shield is a much larger square shape.

Now this is where it gets interesting, particularly when relying on Hogg & Thurston's information.

Hogg & Thurston refer to a converted 13 pdr AA Gun being approved and issued for Home Defence in October 1914, that gun was known as the 13 Pounder 6 cwt Quick Firing Mk 3 Anti-Aircraft Gun, and that is the gun and mount shown in post 3871 mounted on the LGOC B-Type lorry, and those were the guns sent to France in November 1914.

Hogg & Thurston then go on to say, that in early 1915, Elswick offered the Army 6 new 13 Pounder Mk 4 guns. One of which was stationed at Enfield Lock in May 1915 to protect the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, and eventually all 6

' Elswick ' guns were sent to France, and the gun shown in post 3872 is one of those 13 Pounder QF Mk 4 Anti-Aircraft Guns identified by the upper recuperator casing being longer than the lower recuperator casing.

That Mk 4 Gun shown in post 3872 also has the larger square side-shield, and was mounted on an early version of the Thornycroft J-Type lorry.

Now, if one of those Mk 4 ' Elswick ' guns was stationed at Enfield Lock in May 1915 before being sent to France with the other Mk 4s, then it had to have been in the latter half of 1915. If so, then the original IWM caption stating that the gun shown in 3872 was one of those sent to France in November 1914 with Capt. Mortimer's 4th Division, is obviously incorrect.

LF

LF,

Thank you, but I appreciate what has been said about the difference between the guns. What I have had difficulty is the chronology in their use. In one post you say the Elswick guns went out in November 1914, as confirmed by Keith, and now they landed a year later. As regards the Hogg and Thurston attribute to one of the photos showing the Mk IV, which, on all evidence, suggests that it is probably wrong only proves one thing. One can never believe everything you read. Given I have most of the embarkation dates for the sections going to France it would not be too difficult to narrow down the likely sections that went out with the Mk IV if it was Nov. 1915 and see if their diary has survived.

As Keith has obviously researched this I will wait to see which sections he thinks went out first and when. I am confident I have them, and when for a couple, but confirmation would be good. I will see whether it is worth posting again when I am happy I definitively know which guns were the first.

Either way thank you for your posts.

Kevin

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Thank you, but I appreciate what has been said about the difference between the guns. What I have had difficulty is the chronology in their use. In one post you say the Elswick guns went out in November 1914

Kevin

Kevin,

You are absolutely correct to point out that error, and at first, I did make the mistake of thinking that the Mk 3 guns in post 3871 which were sent to France in November 1914, were the 6 ' Elswick ' guns, however, I was not fully comfortable with that assumption, and later I was able to establish that the 6 ' Elswick ' guns were in fact the Mk 4s purchased from Elswick in early 1915, and sent to France in the latter half of 1915, and those are the Mk 4 guns shown in post 3872.

I was certainly misled by the original IWM photo caption, which I now believe to be incorrect.

What Keith was able to confirm, was that AA Guns were sent to France in November 1914, which is correct.

In summary, the Mk 3s in post 3871 went to France in November 1914, and the Mk 4 ' Elswick ' guns in post 3872 went to France in the latter half of 1915.

Regards,

LF

[johnboy]

Thanks for the explanation.

[Rockdoc]

So your, "You can most easily tell the difference by looking at the double-buffer arrangements. On the Mk III the two are a similar length. On the Mk IV they are clearly different lengths" was just for that particular post which purports to be 1914/15 and your references to Mk III and Mk IV for that time. Therefore some RHA guns may have different length buffers depending on what you see?

Can you please confirm first sections and embarkations and source please?

You are merrily twisting my words here, Kev, and appear to be deliberately misunderstanding what I have written. Let me try and summarise it as clearly as I can:

If you can see the gun from the side then the easiest way to tell an Elswick gun from an RHA gun on a Mark 1 mount is by the relative lengths of the two buffers. Any gun shown at rest with one buffer that is a similar length to the barrel is an RHA gun on a MArk 2 HA mount. If the buffer is much shorter than the barrel then it will be a 13-pdr 9-cwt, almost certainly on a Mark 4 HA mount as the Mark 3 was quickly deemed unsatisfactory.

I most certainly did not say that the length of the buffers was the only way to tell the two makes apart but it is very much more difficult to tell them apart from oblique angles unless you can get a clear view of the breech and its operating mechanism, which are completely unlike each other and would give a definite ID. A third but probably less accurate way is by estimating the position of the mount that fixes the buffer to the gun, which are in a different place to accommodate the different breech mechanisms. A fourth is by looking at the bracketry that acts as a middle support between the buffers which also differ but, again, it is less definitive than the first two.

My sources are The Official History of the Ministry of Munitions, Volume X, Hogg and Thurston's book and photographs of the guns of my Grandfather's unit, 99th AA Section, which had two Elswick guns at a position to the north-west of Salonika.

Keith

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Your post 3897

Hogg & Thurston reports that one of the 6 original 13 pdrs purchased from Elswick, was stationed at Enfield Lock in May 1915 to provide AA protection to the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, and that gun, along with the other 5 were all sent to France in November 1914, which date Keith was able to confirm.

Kevin

Kevin,

Post 3897, has now been corrected.

Regards,

LF

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The Mk 3 mount shown in post # 3876, subsequently proved to be inadequate for the new more powerful 13 Pounder 9 cwt Gun, and was soon replaced by the completely redesigned Mk 4 mount.

The pedestal for the new Mk 4 mount was made considerably higher by 9 inches, so as to allow for the gun's modified recoil system, which increased the gun's recoil from 24 inches on the Mk 3 mount to 35 inches on the new Mk 4 mount, thereby placing less strain on the mounting.

The Fuze-Range Dial previously fitted to both the Mk 2 and Mk 3 mounts, was not fitted to the Mk 4 mount.

The prolific Mk 4 mount was extremely well photographed, particularly on the Western Front, unlike the Mk 2 mount, which we know was used on the Western Front, however, as yet, I have not been able to locate a photograph of a Mk 2 mount in service on the Western Front.

The Mk 4 mount, was fitted to both the Thornycroft J-Type lorry and the Peerless lorry.

The first photograph, depicts a wintery scene showing a 13 Pounder 9 cwt Quick Firing Anti-Aircraft Gun on a Mk 4 mount fitted on a Thornycroft J-Type lorry in action at Armentieres on December 28, 1917.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Photographs of the 13 pdr 9 cwt QF AA Gun mounted on the Mk 4 High Angle mount in service on the Western Front are plentiful, and I was particularly interested in photographs of this gun in service on other Fronts.

Here is an excellent, nicely detailed photograph of a 13 pdr 9 cwt on a Mk 4 mount in action in Salonika, on the Balkan Front.

The photograph shows the British 13 pdr's gun crew, along with two Serbian officers.

The lorry is a Thornycroft J-Type, and we can see good details of the side ammunition locker, and also the swing-out steel beams supporting the stabilizer jacks, which have been deployed and mounted on blocks.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

A nice example of a camouflaged ' Peerless ' lorry mounted with a 13 pdr 9 cwt ( combined barrel and breech weight ) Quick Firing Anti-Aircraft Gun on a Mk 4 mount.

This lorry looks to be parked in a line of other vehicles, the one behind being covered, so it could be part of a military convoy on their way to France, and this photograph was taken during a drill or as a posed photograph to show the gun and it's crew in action.

There are no W^D Census Numbers painted on the lorry, again indicating that it is still in Britain, possibly London.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Rockdoc]

Photographs of the 13 pdr 9 cwt QF AA Gun mounted on the Mk 4 High Angle mount in service on the Western Front are plentiful, and I was particularly interested in photographs of this gun in service on other Fronts.

Here is an excellent, nicely detailed photograph of a 13 pdr 9 cwt on a Mk 4 mount in action in Salonika, on the Balkan Front.

The photograph shows the British 13 pdr's gun crew, along with two Serbian officers.

The lorry is a Thornycroft J-Type, and we can see good details of the side ammunition locker, and also the swing-out steel beams supporting the stabilizer jacks, which have been deployed and mounted on blocks.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

There were only a few 9-cwt guns in Salonika. 73rd AAS had three 6-cwt and one 9-cwt (it began with the standard two guns but was given extras after arrival); 90th AAS had two 9-cwt guns from its arrival; 154th had two 9-cwt guns but was active for only a few months before the end of the war on this front. 91st AAS could be expected to have had 9-cwt guns as it landed at the same time as 90th AAS but the numbers of the guns recorded in its Diary are much lower than those recorded for any 9-cwt gun so I suspect it, like the other Sections, had 6-cwt guns. I would be not be at all surprised if this photo is of 73rd AAS. It was based by the Dudular tumulus, on top of a ridge overlooking the village itself, and was the HQ of the AA artillery. It could be 90th AAS, which had one gun near Janes, but I'd guess that it would be more likely for a Serbian delegation to be visiting the French and/or British HQs in Salonika and taken the few miles to Dudular to be shown the best of British technology.

Keith

[Lancashire Fusilier]

but I'd guess that it would be more likely for a Serbian delegation to be visiting the French and/or British HQs in Salonika and taken the few miles to Dudular to be shown the best of British technology.

Keith

Keith,

Many thanks for all the additional Salonika information, and it looks like at some point, the AA Section's details were painted on the side panel of the driver's seat, as was often the case, and it is a shame that information has worn off, or was intentionally removed.

Regards,

LF

[Lancashire Fusilier]

The 13 Pounder Quick Firing Anti-Aircraft Guns were fitted with a Recuperator, which was located above the gun barrel. The Recuperator, in the form of a tubular metal casing, housed the recuperator springs and the oil supply needed to keep the springs lubricated. When the gun barrel recoiled after firing, the recuperator's springs were compressed and when the springs expanded again after recoil, the barrel was once again forced back into the firing position.

With intense battlefield use, the wear and tear on the recuperator springs and the loss or degrading of the spring's lubricating oil supply, resulted in the failure of the springs to expand back into position after recoil, this required the barrel to be returned to the firing position manually, which was both troublesome and dramatically reduced the gun's rate of fire.

To ensure a constant replenishing of the recuperator springs oil supply, and that the recuperator springs were adequately lubricated and functioning properly, an armoured oil box/reservoir was fitted to the front end of the recuperator casing. This oil box/reservoir could be regularly checked by the gun's crew, and refilled as and when necessary, thereby prolonging the working life of the recuperator springs.

Attached is a photograph of the distinctive oil box/reservoir fitted to many 13 pounder AA Gun's Recuperators, typically those on the 9 cwt guns.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

A photograph of a ' Peerless ' lorry mounted with a 13 pdr. 9 cwt QF AA Gun on a Mk 4 mount in an Anti-Aircraft emplacement at Boyelles, 6 miles south of Arras in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of Northern France.

This photo, also shows the oil box/reservoir at the front end of the gun's Recuperator.

Also shown, are details of the various Range Finder and spotting equipment in use at the emplacement.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

A photograph taken at the School of AA Artillery in Shoeburyness, Essex, showing a nice side profile view of a 13 pdr 9 cwt QF AA Gun mounted on a Thornycroft J-Type lorry, with the gun shown in the travelling position.

It is also very interesting to note the gun crew's travelling seating positions on the lorry, which are very seldom seen, as most photographs show the gun crew in action.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Rockdoc]

Spring breakage and getting the right strength to bring the barrel back to the firing position seems to have been a perennial problem, going by the Salonika Diaries. There are quite a few references to buffers being taken down and broken springs found. 73rd AAS had a second spring-case fitted to its 9-cwt gun by the nearby IOM Workshops at Karaissi. When first fitted it threw out the balance of the piece and the elevating screw became 'pinched' and very hard to turn - no good at all when the men were taught to move the elevation and traverse by counting the rotation of the handles as they'd lose their concentration and, probably much worse, speed. A counter-balance weight was added, which improved things, but it wasn't long before the whole thing was converted back to the standard configuration, although experiments with variations in the number, strength and layout of the springs continued.

I'm sure that broken springs were not confined to the AA variants of field gun but I wonder whether the way they were used would have made a difference. It was well-known that gun-barrels wore more quickly with the speed of the shell, which could only be changed by altering the charge and therefore impossible on a field gun, and by rate of fire. ISTR that something like four rounds per minute was the recommended maximum for good barrel-life on an 18-pdr. An AA gun did not have the luxury of a low rate of fire. It might not fire for as long as a conventional field gun but it would have to fire as rapidly as possible during an engagement so the springs would get a battering, too.

Keith

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Keith,

Many thanks for the information, and it is always important to have clarification and verification from contemporary war diaries.

Regards,

LF

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Today, I shall post several more examples of the Mark 4 mount, before moving on tomorrow to the Mark 5 mount.

The first photograph, shows a Thornycroft J-Type lorry mounted with a 13 pdr. 9 cwt QF AA Gun on a Mark 4 mount, being inspected by a group of officers on the Italian Front.

This photograph gives good details of the Thornycroft lorry's rear ammunition locker, and the stowage of pick axes on the tailgate.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

This photograph taken at Saint Vaast in the Wallonia Region of Southern Belgium on 13th March 1918, shows excellent details of the Mark 4 mount on a Peerless lorry mounted with a 13 pdr 9 cwt QF AA Gun, and whilst we can only see a very limited view of the lorry, it can be identified as a ' Peerless ' lorry by the side panel on the driver's seat, which on a Peerless lorry only extends to the base of the driver's seat, whereas, the side panel on the driver's seat on a Thornycroft lorry extended almost down to the chassis ( see post 3913 ).

Also of note, is the crew member on the far right, wearing headphones to receive targeting information, and the crew member in front, preparing the shell for firing.

LF

IWM This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

A nicely detailed photograph of the Mark 4 mount.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

One final post for the Mark 4 mount before moving on to the Mark 5 mount.

This photograph shows a Battery of 13 pdr 9 cwt. QF AA Guns on Mark 4 mounts on Thornycroft J-Type lorries protecting a Balloon site somewhere on the Home front or the Western Front ?

This AA gun position looks to be permanent, as duck-boards have been installed at the site, and also, in addition to the side and rear ammunition lockers on the lorries, there is an additional larger free-standing ammunition locker on the ground to the left of the lorry.

LF

This image is reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.