TOPIC:

More shells, this time from in and around Kimberley.
Note the five shells made in the De Beers workshops during the siege (three 4.1-inch “Long Cecil”; two 2.5-inch mountain gun)

The notable absence of 75 mm Creusot shells is probably due to the fact that the investing force was primarily from the Orange Free State, whose artillery did not possess this type of armament.






A. De Beers 4.1-inch B.L. “Long Cecil” (segment; unfired) - 2 different shapes, the right-hand one with a more pointed nose
B. De Beers 2.5-inch R.M.L. Mountain Gun (segment; bright example unfired)
C. 155 mm Creusot “Long Tom” (shrapnel, with time fuze – unfired)
D. 155 mm Creusot “Long Tom” (shrapnel on left; common on right)
E. Vickers Maxim 1-pdr “pompom”
F. 37 mm Krupp-Gruson Q.F. (for field guns)
G. 9-pdr Armstrong R.M.L. Studded Shell
H. 4.7-inch Q.F. Naval cartridge
I. 12-pdr Q.F. Naval cartridge
J. 75 mm Krupp Q.F. cartridge
K. 75 mm Krupp Q.F. (shrapnel on left; common on right – both unfired)
L. 75 mm Krupp B.L. (segment)
M. 75 mm Krupp B.L. (shrapnel, with time fuze)
N. British 15-pdr shrapnel (one with time & percussion fuze loosely attached)
O. De Beers 4.1-inch B.L. “Long Cecil” (segment; fired)
P. 4.7-inch Q.F. Naval nose cone (Lyddite, with direct action percussion fuze)
Q. 155 mm Creusot "long Tom" shrapnel base, with shrapnel bullets
R. 75 mm Krupp Q.F. (common)

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De Beers 2.5-inch Mountain Gun segment shell, manufactured in Kimberley during the siege.







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De Beers 4.1-inch "Long Cecil" segment shell, manufactured in Kimberley during the siege.

At least two different shapes were produced. The drawing on the right shows a more pointed nose, with the driving band set closer to the base.






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Fascinating to see that the de Beers shells used a humble percussion cap like these to ignite the black powder in the shell.

The one part my fuze is missing ...

Shell believed to have been manufactured at Messrs Begbie & Co's ammunition factory, Johannesburg, for use with captured British 15-pdr field guns.

This type of shell appears in the photograph "Boer Ammunition (Shells, etc.) and Rifles in charge of Chief Magazine Master and Staff". Being longer than 75 mm Krupp QF shells, and having a driving band set too close to the base for employment with 75 mm Creusot QF guns, its intended use remained a mystery until the present example came to light.

As the shell below has been fired, it is possible to examine the rifling grooves cut into the driving band. These are of distinctive British 15-pdr form, allowing for the assumption that these projectiles were cast in Johannesburg, specifically for use with captured British guns.

The final image includes the incorrect observation that "The shells have been made expressly for this gun in Germany". Note the case of shells labelled "ENGLISCH 3 [inch] KANON" (The Anglo-Boer War Album, p. 93).

With thanks to M C Heunis.






Photograph showing the distinctive rifling of the 15-pdr BL gun, together with an image comparing the driving band of a fired British 15-pdr shell (top) with that of the Begbie shell. This clearly shows that both shells were fired by the same type and calibre of gun.





Boer Ammunition (Shells, etc.) and Rifles in charge of Chief Magazine Master and Staff





Boers at the Siege of Ladysmith with one of Colonel Long’s Captured Guns





"English 15-Pounder Gun, captured by Boers and retaken by British troops at Bethlehem. The shells have been made expressly for this gun in Germany".





The aftermath of the Begbie explosion. The two shells sat on top of the moulds at the back appear to be 15-pdrs (too long for Krupp; top short for Creusot).


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