TOPIC:

Neville and Paul
There are two spherical (presumably explosive) objects in posts 40751 and 40770. In the first mentioned pic, we can estimate the diameter of the item resting on the mouth of the shell in the centre of the pic by reference to the 37mm Pom Pom round at the left side of that pic. My estimate makes the "mouth of the shell" object as about 65mm/2.6".
The circular object in pic 40770 is not a hand grenade. Again making an estimate of it's size (with reference to the 65mm/2.6" of the earlier object) makes it 7" or perhaps even 8". During my 1965-1970 service time, I threw/projected/instructed on then current hand grenades and there is no way the average bloke could toss a 7" plus cast iron object (with spluttering fuze out of its top) far enough to get out of the blast and fragment zone. Readers might observe that whilst the body of that with c.65mm diameter is a one-piece casting with fuze hole at top, the other is not; it is made in two halves and apparently held together by screws and pegs. Upon explosion, that one would simply blow in two halves - not what is needed when casting a grenade.
I dug out my trusty copies of the 1887 and 1897 HMSO Treatises on Ammunition and the closest object to that in 40770 appears to be the "Ball, Light, Parachute" These were to be fired from mortars and were made in calibres 10", 8" and 5.5". True, the larger object does not appear identical in all respects with the illustration in the ToSA - but it is similar or is perhaps a Continental version of the "Ball, Light, Parachute". It's object was to throw light on enemy working parties,etc at night and because the burning flare is suspended by parachute, it cannot be extinguished until it reaches the ground. Any modern fortification at the time of the ABW would have been acquainted with such a device.
The British Army prior to the ABW was well aware of the uses of the hand grenade. Both Treatises mention them as being made in two sizes (6lb and 3lb) and were used chiefly "for the defence of places against assault, being thrown amongst the storming party in the ditch. They are useful in the defence of houses, they have been fired out of mortars ..... They can be thrown by hand about 20 or 30 yards".
Again, I feel that all contemporary armies at the time of the ABW would have been aware of the hand grenade. The British army had actually used them during the Sudan Wars. The Republican forces would have found the manufacture of hand grenades rather easy; a simple hollow cast body on an established size, black powder for the bursting charge and a simple safety fuze sticking out the top.
This email ended up being a bit longer and wordier than I hoped it would.
Regards
IL.

Thank you for your post, IL. Your remarks regarding the larger spherical object led me to have a good look at other photographs of Boer ammunition. The montage below shows two different sizes of "mortar" round. The one in my last post is shown here next to a 120mm Krupp Howitzer shell (top right), and indicates that it has a width of 150mm. Captain Reichmann (Reports on Military Operations in South Africa, p.130) lists a muzzle-loader 150mm mortar as being in the hands of the Transvaal at the outbreak of the war. He notes that it was positioned on Vaalkop during the Siege of Ladysmith. The other images show a second larger sized spherical projectile next to two 120mm Krupp shells (bottom left & bottom right) and a 155mm Creusot shell (top left). This allows a pretty accurate measurement of 200mm. These latter projectiles were almost certainly fired by the 200mm mortar that is on display at Fort Klapperkop today. The last photograph shows this mortar in the field during the ABW.
Your observations about the construction of the smaller 150mm round are fascinating. It would be good to find an account of the Boers using parachute flares. The construction also echoes that of the "Boxer system" B.L. forged steel shrapnel shell, where the head is attached to the body with steel screws and twisting pins. Because of this, I wondered whether this projectile could equally be some form of shrapnel round.







Nevinson, The Diary of a Siege, p. 245. "To-day we enjoyed a further variety, well worth the risk. At the foot of Surprise Hill, hardly 1,500 yards from our position, the Boers have placed a mortar. Now and then it throws a huge column of smoke straight up into the air. The first I thought was a dynamite explosion, but after a few seconds I heard a growing whisper high above my head, as though a falling star had lost its way, and plump came a great shell into the grass, making a 3ft. hole in the reddish earth, and bursting with no end of a bang. We collected nearly all the bits and fitted them together. It was an eight or nine-inch globe, reminding one of those “bomb-shells” which heroes of old used to catch up in their hands and plunge into water-buckets. The most amusing part of it was the fuse—­a thick plug of wood running through the shell and pierced with the flash-channel down its centre. It was burnt to charcoal, but we could still make out the holes bored in its side at intervals to convert it into a time-fuse. This is the “one mortar” catalogued in our Intelligence book. It was satisfactory to have located it".

Neville
Sorry for the delay in answering: I have been away interstate on a short break. Anyway, the extra pics you posted are very interesting. Accurate/reasonably accurate measurements are always of great help in matters such as this - as are the contemporaneous observations of Capt.Reichmann. My earlier comment about an item possibly being a version of the "ball, light, parachute" was a bit of a stab-in-the-dark (pardon the pun!); however, such were widely known of and an artillerist wanting to equip fortifications immediately pre ABW might stretch a budget. I have never read of the Boers using such items, however.
The quote from Nevinson describes quite well the Boxer system of time fusing. I have taken the liberty of taking a couple of pics from ToA 1887 to illustrate the system: after piercing, fuse initiated by propelling charge -






I am quite sure that your comment about the 150mm item being intended to fragment upon explosion is quite correct. The wired-together remains of an exploded "bomb shell" illustrates it's anti-personnel limitations; the large segments would lose effect quite soon - but woe betide anyone struck with same. Much better (wider) effect could be obtained with a much thinner case and smaller fragments.
In conclusion, might I note the young person to the side of the mortar with left arm raised (ready-to-fire)and right hand firmly holding the cord to a friction igniter. Doubtless posed but a good pic.
Regards
IL.

IL
Below is a summary of an extremely informative piece posted by "Cannoneer" at www.go2gbo.com/forums/blackpowder-mortar...r-artillery/35/?wap2
The mortar used by the Boers was of British origin (built by gun founder Bailey Pegg & Company - serial number 16) and was bought from the Cape Government in the early 1880s. It was manufactured in the early 1850s.
Its calibre was 8-inches or 203mm (very close to my estimate based on photos), and it had a range of about 2000 yards. Interestingly it fired common and star shell, suggesting that your original observations might well be right.
The Boers gave it the name "Seeppot" or "Soap Pot", because it resembled the large cast iron cooking pots used in the manufacture of soap.
Cannoneer notes that "during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 this antique piece again saw service, this time outside Ladysmith during the siege of the town. Although obsolete by then, it was presumably used to fire star shells at night to provide light. The only known photo of Seeppot was taken on Vaalkop outside Ladysmith during the siege" (this is the photo in my last post).
It seems unlikely that the Boers had two mortars on Vaalkop and, indeed, every list of guns available to the Republics at the outbreak of the ABW includes just one such piece of ordnance. This all suggests that Reichmann was mistaken when he assigned a calibre of 150mm to the mortar used on Vaalkop. If this is the case, we are left with a conundrum: what fired the 150mm spherical projectile in the photos in my earlier posts? Is it possible that star shell were fired with some sort of casing (wooden?) that fell away once the projectile left the muzzle of the gun?
Cannoneer also states that “Seeppot” was sent to England at the end of the war and ended up in Manchester. The example that can be seen at Fort Klapperkop today is therefore not the gun used during the ABW (despite the plaque that reads: “200mm mortar used by the Boers”!)
Regrads,
Neville

Neville
This is a really interested topic! Looks like a certain stab-in-the-dark might indeed be partially correct; "star shell" having a much shorter illumination period than the parachute job. Nevertheless, a useful adjunct for an artillerest of the day. Very frequently, shells fired from mortars used wooden sabots; ensuring that the propelling charge had full effect and did not wastefully blow past the sides of an otherwise ill-fitting shell. The sabot idea - even a home made job - could well have been used to adapt the 150mm shell for use in a larger bored mortar.
Regards
IL.

IL
Just noticed this piece, which appears in a photograph captioned "Boer Ammunition (Shells, etc.) and Rifles in charge of Chief Magazine Master and Staff". The mortar round or star shell (?) is shown next to 75mm Krupp and Creusot shells to give it scale. This allows for an estimated diameter of 200mm, which would suggest use with the "Seeppot" mortar. Note the large fixing pins in the visible hemisphere. Any idea what the cord is about? Could this be holding the charge for the projectile?
What ever it is, it is clearly a very different beast to the other spherical projectiles shown in my earlier posts.