182 CEF Posted 21 June , 2003 Share Posted 21 June , 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have been asked to find out about a WW1 shell that a WW2 Vet's father had. Can anyone tell me about this. The shell is 6inchs long. The markings on the bottom are as follows....... 2.95 in III lot 7 1916 CF VSM 83 (with a broad arrow above it) Primer is marked N41 Ok it was made in 1916, but I have never heard of a 2.95 in gun. Thanks in advance for any info. Dean Owen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 21 June , 2003 Share Posted 21 June , 2003 Dean, I can help with a few items. The CF stands for cordite filling, VSM is the manufacturer Vickers, Son and Maxim. The shell could come from the 2.95 inch Quick Firing Mountain gun manufactured by Vickers, Son and Maxim and mainly used in colonial service. I am sure the other numbers will be identified, one is probably a lot number. Hope this helps a bit. Ralph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_H Posted 21 June , 2003 Share Posted 21 June , 2003 Dean The shell case is, as Ralph said, from the ammunition of a British 2.95" QF Mountain Gun. Britain only purchased 30 0f these from Vickers in 1901. They were a commercial venture by VSM rather than a design commissioned by the Board of Ordnance. The design was not a great success, the recoil system was not entirely satisfactory, hence the one off purchase of the batch of 30. The US Army bought 90 of these weapons for use in the Phillipines and they were still in service at the outbreak of WW2. The guns were used by Sierra Leone and Nigerian batteries during the campaign in the German Cameroons and were obsolete in British service in 1920. The case markings indicate a MkIII case, part of Lot or production batch 7. The standard ammunition for the gun was a 12 1/2 lb shrapnel shell. and it had a max range of about 4800 yards Hope this helps Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
182 CEF Posted 21 June , 2003 Author Share Posted 21 June , 2003 Holy Cow!! Thanks Lads. I can't believe all the info you came up with so quickly!! On an other note, I was in the Canadian Forces and we used the short form "CF" I saw the "CF" on shells for years, I always wondered about that. It seems this man has a rare shel. I will let him know. Thank you again Dean Owen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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