Looking for history of the QF 4.7-inch naval gun deployed at Gallipoli

[RodB]

I'm trying to nail down the history of this gun, the remains of which are displayed at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

It was deployed at ANZAC on what looks like (in 1915 photographs) an old "Percy Scott" Boer War improvised carriage.

The AWM website states the number as No. 716, made by Elswick Ordnance Company (E.O.C.) in 1896. Presumably this is accurate as they have forensic access to breech stampings.

However, the AWM also states it came from HMS Powerful. My info is that HMS Powerful didn't mount the 4.7-inch gun.

So my questions to the forum are :

* How can I trace the service history of a gun, knowing its manufacturer, date and number ?

* My research indicates that the 4.7-inch guns deployed ashore in the Boer war were actually dismounted from static harbour defences in South Africa. But I've also found references to guns from HMS Doris being deployed.

So - the gun's history is starting to look like :

* 1896 : manufacture

* Naval career ? HMS Doris ?

* 189? - 1899 : Harbour defence in South Africa. Cape Town ?

* 1899 ? - ? Field gun in the Boer War on Percy Scott carriage.

* 1902-1914: Storage somewhere in South Africa ? Salt River ? Simonstown ?

* September 1914 - ? 1915 : South West Africa campaign ? This would tie in with Rosenthal asking for guns months before and having to wait. So it seems Gallipoli was even lower in priority for artillery than SWA, as if it was just in storage why the delay ? Does this add up ?

* July 1915 - shipped to ANZAC.

* December 1915 - spiked and abandoned

* 1916 ? Dragged down to the beach by the Turks, presumably for scrap, then abandoned.

* 1919 rediscovered by Australian visitors and shipped to Australia.

* Many years in storage ?, then put on display at the AWM.

Any suggestions on approaches to fill in the gaps ?

thanks

Rod

[RodB]

A gun on a carriage lookiung identical (apart from reversed wheels) to the Gallipoli gun was in action at the Battle of Colenso in December 1899 :

Compare with the Gallipoli gun :