10 pounder Screw Breech Mountain Gun

Accession Number REL46085
Collection type Technology
Object type Artillery
Physical description Metal, Wood
Location Main Bld: First World War Gallery: The Anzac Story: Gallipoli
Maker Royal Ordnance, London
Place made United Kingdom
Date made c.1895
Conflict First World War, 1914-1918
Description

10 pdr Breech-loading Mountain Gun, mounted on a two-wheeled rivetted steel carriage. The barrel is fitted with an interrupted screw breech, and is divided into two portions with a screwed connector in the middle part of the barrel that allows the barrel to be separated into two roughly equal parts. The barrel is coated with a thin black finish, while the carriage is covered with a khaki green paint. The two wooden spoked wheels are not covered with a finish.

History / Summary

This weapon system is fitted with two part rifled barrel that screwed together for use in mountainous regions. It was designed to be carried by pack animals.

It could be dismantled into 4 loads of approximately 90.7 kg for transport, typically by mule. The carriage was a conventional box type iron trail. The gun fired a 4.7 kg projectile up to 5,480 metres at 393 m/s. The ammunition used included solid, shrapnel or case shot. The total weight of the weapon complete was 396 kg. The calibre of the weapon is 2.75 inch/70mm (10 pounds) with a barrel length of 28 calibres.

The 10 pounder Screw Breech Mountain Gun was introduced into British Indian Army service in 1903 and it went on to serve during the First World War during campaigns in Africa, the Middle East as well as the in Dardanelles.

On 25 April 1915 a 10 Pounder Mountain gun of the 7th Indian Mountain Artillery Brigade (21st Kohat battery, 26th Jacob’s Battery) was used to support the Australian and New Zealand troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The guns of this brigade went on to become a well-known and liked support element to the combined Australian, New Zealand, Indian and UK forces serving on the Gallipoli beachhead in 1915.

Before they were retired in 1923 a total of 183 had been manufactured by the Woolwich Arsenal and Elswick Ordnance Company (UK).