yellow Posted 25 August , 2007 Share Posted 25 August , 2007 I`d love to see the items people have got in their collection that are related to the British 18 Pounder as used during WW1. Any informations concerning who manufactured the weapons and stamping or markings that can be found on the field guns themselves would be welcome. Many thanks, Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay dubaya Posted 25 August , 2007 Share Posted 25 August , 2007 Hi Steve....an 18lber in the garden would be sure to keep the neighbours at bay! Sorry I havn't got much to offer apart from a photo from Vickers Works in Sheffield 'The Arsenal of Britain' and the production of 18lb shells at Cammell Lairds' Cyclops Works also in Sheffield, In 1914 there were 6 major armament factories in the private sector, and 4 of these (Firth's, Hadfield's, Cammell Laird and Vickers') were in Sheffield. Betwwen 1900 and the outbreak of war in 1914 less than 1000 artillery peices had been ordered, and most of them were in the period 1904-5. During the war Sheffield alone produced 16,500 complete guns, plus another 514,000 gun barrels, tubes and jackets. Other types of military output were equally staggering. Sheffield produced 11 million shells. This may sound like a colossal amount, but it was only 6% of the 170 million shells expended on the western front alone. Also produced were 3 million rifle barrels and 7 million steel helmets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay dubaya Posted 25 August , 2007 Share Posted 25 August , 2007 ...not sure what happened to the other pic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellow Posted 25 August , 2007 Author Share Posted 25 August , 2007 Fascinating information regarding Sheffields contribution...........do you have an idea have how many 18 Pounders were manufactured during the war by every factory in total? I need to absorb as much information as I can regarding the 18 pounder! Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnreed Posted 25 August , 2007 Share Posted 25 August , 2007 Here is a photo of my complete 18pdr complete HE round (its empty of course) John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellow Posted 26 August , 2007 Author Share Posted 26 August , 2007 Smashing pic John! Does anyone have any dug up relics from a the gun itself or are those rare? Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Tom Posted 26 August , 2007 Share Posted 26 August , 2007 Hello, According to R Adams 'Arms and the Wizard' 'Llyodd George and the Ministry of Munitons' 1,904 18 pdrs weredelivered from production from June to December 1915 (and 100 repaired for service) the figure for January to June 1916 was 1,020 and from July 16 to June 17 1,379 (and 745 repaired for service) He also quotes shell deliveries: Aug - Dec 1914 850,000 - Jan to Jun 15 1,491,426 - Jul - Dec 15 4,070,344 - Jan - Jun 16 10,073,809 and Jul - Dec 16 22,789,232. Old Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnreed Posted 26 August , 2007 Share Posted 26 August , 2007 Steve Today I obtained a Handbook for thw 18pdr Q.F. Gun dated 1915, complete with ammendments. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted 27 August , 2007 Share Posted 27 August , 2007 When I visited Proof and Experimental Establishment Port Wakefield South Australia in the 1980s they had lots of of 18 pounder ammunition and we were told they were still keeping an eye on it. Must have had an 18 pounders somewhere to fire it although we didn't see that. I must confess at the time I was staggered-obsolete ammunition and the guns retired in the 1940s. Could only assume that its value was high enough not to cast it! Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montbrehain Posted 27 August , 2007 Share Posted 27 August , 2007 And if you ever find your self near FORT NELSON near Fareham in Hampshire , its worth popping in to have a look at the collection there. Including and 18 pounder and limber"MO" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T8HANTS Posted 27 August , 2007 Share Posted 27 August , 2007 At the last WW1 event at Fort Nelson, I had the great privilege of first acting as an ammunition number, and than loader on that very gun. It was GREAT fun, also an excellent insight, and I thank the guys for letting the members of the Leach Catapult crew for having a go. Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Foster Posted 27 August , 2007 Share Posted 27 August , 2007 Hi Steve, I painted this a couple years ago for a friend, based on a photograph by Frank Hurley Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted 27 August , 2007 Share Posted 27 August , 2007 Wow Chris, Thats a great painting, do you do portraits as well? Nige Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Foster Posted 27 August , 2007 Share Posted 27 August , 2007 Hi Nige, Thank you very much. Yes I do portraits, I've posted one or two things in the War Art section, (this Paiting also) in the last 6 monthes or so,mainly pencil drawings, but I'm having an enforced rest due to tendon trouble in my hand. Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Foster Posted 27 August , 2007 Share Posted 27 August , 2007 Also some photographs I took a few years ago of the 18 pounder at the IWM London Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Foster Posted 29 August , 2007 Share Posted 29 August , 2007 some more images of the IWM 18 pounder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Foster Posted 29 August , 2007 Share Posted 29 August , 2007 couple more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Foster Posted 29 August , 2007 Share Posted 29 August , 2007 and last but not least Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil@basildon Posted 6 April , 2009 Share Posted 6 April , 2009 I know this is an old thread but I am new to this forum. The 18-pounders used by the King's Troop RHA for ceremonial duties are said to be of GW vintage. After Dunkirk many were taken out of store and placed in service complete with steel shod wooden wheels! My late father had to tow one behind a 1920's Morris-Commercial 6X4, the speed was limited to 8 mph. The limber was adapted for towing as well. These were later converted to 18/25 pounders by mounting the 18-pounder barrel on a 25-pounder gun carriage. My grandfather was also an artillery driver in the GW, on the 18 pounders. As the most skilled/experienced driver on the gun team he was the "wheel-driver" who sat on the third pair of horses, responsible for controling the limber and gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockdoc Posted 6 April , 2009 Share Posted 6 April , 2009 I know this is an old thread but I am new to this forum. The 18-pounders used by the King's Troop RHA for ceremonial duties are said to be of GW vintage. The RHA began WW1 with 13pdr 6cwt guns, most of which were swapped for 18pdr 9cwt (the RFA field piece) when mobile warfare was no longer possible. Their website says they use "Second World War thirteen pounders", which looks like a slip of the keyboard. My Grandfather always winced when he saw them firing a ceremonial salute. He said that a blank round left the barrel coated with soot that a shell normally helped out of the muzzle so not only was it a pain to have to bull up the equipment before the event, it was hours of work to get the gun back to an acceptable state afterwards. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelfe Posted 7 April , 2009 Share Posted 7 April , 2009 The Official History of the Ministry of Munitions, Volume X, The Supply of Munitions, Part 1 Guns, Appendix - Deliveries to Service of Guns and Carriages from August 1914 to December 1918 (a) New Guns and Carriages 13-pr (6 cwt) Totals - 150 Guns, 100 Carriages (Peak years Guns 100 in 1916, Carrs 89 in 1917 (& 50 guns in 1918)) 18-pr Totals - 9908 Guns, 6926 Carriages (Peak years Guns 3653 in 1918, Carrs 2381 in 1915) (b] Repaired Guns and Carriages 13-pr - Totals - 190 Guns, no Carriages 18-pr - Totals - 3957 Guns, 1047 Carriages 18-pr suppliers - Ordnance Factories (Woolwich), Messrs Armstrong, Vickers and Beardmore, and the Bethlehem Steel Co. In 1917 and '18 some assemblies were supplied by other companies. The main producers throughout the war were Armstrong and Vickers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew lucas Posted 9 April , 2009 Share Posted 9 April , 2009 I have 2 of the coats used to carry the ammunition one for the 4.5" how the other 13/18rdr. The one for the 4.5" would carry 2 shells the 13/18rdr 4. There is one in the museum at Hooge and one on the cover of the osprey book on battle insignia, you don't see many about, i believe there pretty rare matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcerha Posted 14 April , 2009 Share Posted 14 April , 2009 Just to try and clear up any ambiguity, the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery use 13pdr QF guns and 18 pdr limbers. They have 8 in total, 6 are used for firing Royal Salutes and Displays etc with 1 spare and 1 "Funeral Gun". They also have call on the 13 Pdr QF gun in the possesion of E Bty RHA based at Tidworth, in case during exceptional circumstances (ie death of the Monarch etc) they may need an additional spare. I know this to be true because I was commanding E Bty RHA when a very good friend of mine was commanding the King's Troop and we came to this agreement on the basis that the E Bty gun went through the 13 Pdr QF refurbishment programme with the King's Troop guns to bring it up to "trundling" standard- i.e. so that it could be towed behind a limber and a team of 6 horses on metalled roads. That was in 2001. I believe that there is also a "Funeral Gun" (used for bearing the coffins of those entitled to such a funeral) at the Royal Artillery Museum - Firepower! at Woolwich. I believe that this one may be an 18Pdr and was used at the funeral of King Edward VII, though I stand stand to be corrected on this. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobL Posted 14 April , 2009 Share Posted 14 April , 2009 Here's the Firepower! 18 pounder funeral gun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navyman Posted 14 April , 2009 Share Posted 14 April , 2009 At the last WW1 event at Fort Nelson, I had the great privilege of first acting as an ammunition number, and than loader on that very gun. It was GREAT fun, also an excellent insight, and I thank the guys for letting the members of the Leach Catapult crew for having a go. Gareth Gareth, Coming from Portsmouth the forts on Portsdown hill were great playgrounds for us schoolkids in the late 50s early 60s. That is the ones that were not too closely guarded by the military. When I revisited Fort Nelson a few years ago I discovered what an interesting 'live' museum it had become. Plenty of WW I exhibits to look at and lots more earlier and later also. I've not been able to visit their firing days yet but hope to do so at some point. Very good website is portsdowntunnels where there is a wealth of useful information and links. Yours jealously! Guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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