Martinsart Shell

[carninyj]

I came across this item recently about a disaster befalling the the 13th RIR on the 28th June 1916.

No 11 Platoon of 'C' Company were lined up in Martinsart before going up the line to relieve 'A' Company of the 11th RIR, and the unit was hit by some kind of long range shell. 14 men were killed instantly (and are buried in a single grave) and 9 others later DOW. A further 32 were injured and survived.

It seems a massive loss of life from one shell. Is this the worst recorded incident of its type or do any of you know of others?

carninyj

[Robert Dunlop]

I am not surprised at the numbers, especially if it was a long range shell. This would suggest the shell was large calibre. If the men were tightly packed and in the open then the explosion, fragmentation and concussion would have been devastating.

Two examples come to mind of larger numbers. These reports have to be taken with a grain of salt as observers may see men fall but this does not mean they were hit. One was a report of a shell from an 18-pdr landing on a bridge during the retreat in 1914. The Germans were packed together crossing the bridge. The other was a large calibre naval shell during the Gallipoli campaign. It was seen to explode over a company of Turks in the open. Virtually the entire company was taken out. One of the few examples where naval gunfire support actually made an impact in this campaign.

Robert