1914 Artillery Ammo box

[PauloLib]

Hello,

I wonder if anyone has a picture of a RHA ammo box?

I'm not talking about the caisson but the crate in which the ammunition for the field guns was transported up to the caisson resupply point.

Thank you.

[Chasemuseum]

Hi Paulo,

I assume you are interested in the wood crate for transporting 18pr shells. These varied a bit during the war and as there was limited use of 18prs in WW2, there is a WW2 style wood crate for them as well.

Attached are a few Gallipoli photos and an extract from a 1917 manual.

All are a dovetail construction wooden box to hold 4 rounds, with the rounds held in place by two lots of wooden dividers. All have a simple wood lid, not hinged but retained in place by tapes or wires tacked inside the box. All would have been about the same dimensions.

The early crates appear to be in 3 versions, intended to be returned as salvage for re-use. The crate appears to be reinforced by steel straps going around the crate, like modern steel packaging straps. These straps actually go around the lower 3 sides only and into the opening at the top of the crate, with matching straps around the lid. The variations are in the construction of the ends of the box. Handles on the ends vary, either rope or steel wire with hand grips wrapped in leather.

For Gallipoli photos, some of these crates have had the ends removed to make convenient ammunition racks at the gun emplacements. This would be a field modification, using "boots, ammunition" as a convenient artificers implement.

The simplified 1917 design dispensed with the steel strapping on the box and only has the lid held down by two wires secured by tacks on each side. I presume this simplification would have been to lower costs due to the number of boxes being used as fire wood and duckboards rather than being returned to the UK.

Markings follow standard Army instructions, with details stencilled on the sides and ends, with red explosive hazard class paper labels and inspectors seals pasted onto the box.

Regards

Ross T