My father's war con'd

[Guest David Hough]

In April my family are taking me to Festubert, La Boisselle and Arras battlefields where my father fought with 7 East Lancs in 1915/16 and 1 East Lancs in 1917. I have most of my itinerary in place but would like some info on one or two details. My father spoke about whizzbangs, coal boxes and Jack Johnsons which I think related to artillery weapons. Can anyone be more specific in helping me to identify the weapons he would have been referring to.

Also has anyone info relating to the location of the dressing station in Oct 1915 on the Festubert front particularly in the Canadian Orchard to Barnton Road sector. I am keen to locate this position because this is where he carried his friend to after he had been hit by a sniper. His friend is buried at Le Touret.

David Hough

[Tom Morgan]

David - whizz-bang was the name given to the German high-velocity small calibre shells (usually 77mm calibre) which gave little or no warning of their approach - just a sudden whizzing sound followed by the explosion.

Coal-boxes and Jack Johnsons were different names for the same shell - usually applied to the German 5.9 inch (15 cm) high explosive shell which burst with lots of black smoke. (The American Jack Johnson was the first black heavyweight boxing champion of the world from 1908 to 1915).

Tom

[Guest David Hough]

David - whizz-bang was the name given to the German high-velocity small calibre shells (usually 77mm calibre) which gave little or no warning of their approach - just a sudden whizzing sound followed by the explosion.

Coal-boxes and Jack Johnsons were different names for the same shell - usually applied to the German 5.9 inch (15 cm) high explosive shell which burst with lots of black smoke. (the American Jack Johnson was the first black heavyweight boxing champion of the world from 1908 to 1915).

Tom

[Guest David Hough]

Tom

Thanks for the info. He described the sound effects and the black smoke but didn't seem sure about the calibre. It's taken me nearly 30 years to clarify since he died in 1978.

Many thanks

David