Unidentified Weapons and Novely Weapons
Not all of these guns would have been used during the Anglo-Boer War, but they are included for curiosity's sake.
The above two pictutes: A German Krupp rapid fire fieldgun. This gun might have been offered to the Transvaal for sale, but was never used by the Boers.
Information kindly contributed by MC Heunis, �Officier van Adminitratie� of the �Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps.� Photo source: National Archives of South Africa
British muzzle loader (RML) 2.5-inch, 400 lb. mountain gun, also known as a �screw gun�. This picture could possibly be one of the four guns that were captured by the Boers at Nicholsonsnek. Even though the Boers referred to many British guns as "Armstrongs," most of the RN, RHA, RFA and RGA guns had usually been manufactured by the Royal Gun Factory (RGF) at Woolwich, or by Armstrong's Elswick Ordnance Company (EOC). The gun carriages were usually supplied by the Royal Carriage Department (RCD).
Information kindly contributed by MC Heunis, �Officier van Adminitratie� of the �Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps.� Photo source: National Archives of South Africa.
Fort Schanskop, Pretoria. Photo: H Labuschagne
An early British 15 pounder 7cwt Mark 1 breechloader. It is still marked as a 12-pr 7cwt, but the projectiles were enlarged after the Mark 1 had been built, and all guns of this design then became known as 15-pounders.
Information kindly contributed by MC Heunis, �Officier van Adminitratie� of the �Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps.�
Fort Schanskop, Pretoria. Photo: H Labuschagne
Another 2,5 inch screw gun. This one is mounted on a Colonial "Kaffrarian" carriage, most likely manufactured by Armstrong at its Newcastle-on-Tyne factory. In South African British colonial units mounted many of their lighter mountain guns on large-wheeled field carriages, in order to use them as field guns.
Information kindly contributed by MC Heunis, �Officier van Adminitratie� of the �Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps.�
A selection of artillery ammunition.
Novelty Weapons
Union Buildings, Pretoria. Photo: H Labuschagne
According to information kindly contributed by MC Heunis, the "Officier van adminitratie" of the "Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps," this gun which stands at the western entrance to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, is a German 10,5 cm Krupp naval gun. It came from the World War I German warship, the K�nigsberg. This ship was destroyed in the Rufiji delta in East Africa. After its sinking, the guns were removed and used on land against General Jan Smuts' Union Forces.
The "Ras" cannons
These cannons were built during the First Anglo-Boer War by two Boer nephews, Martinus and Eduard Ras. The barrels were manufactured by wrapping wagon wheel strips around a pipe and forging the strips together so that the metal fused. The barrel was mounted on a wagon's back axle carriage. The large cannon in the background (�Martini�) was manufactured first and saw service against the British fort at Rustenburg. The second smaller gun in the front was only completed after the decisive battle of Majuba (27 February 1881) and did not see action during the 1880-1881 war. During the Second Anglo-Boer War the guns were already in the museum in Pretoria. Fortunately both survived to this day, the first being at Armscor's headquarters in Erasmuskloof, Pretoria, while the second smaller gun is on display at Fort Schanskop near the Voortrekker monument in Pretoria.
Information kindly contributed by MC Heunis, �Officier van Adminitratie� of the �Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps.�
Photo credit: The South African National Archives.
This stereoscopic pictures shows a small 16 pounder muzzle-loading howitzer, which Colonel Baden-Powell used during the defence of Mafeking. This gun was manufactured in Mafeking during the siege due to a lack of sufficient artillery power. The gun fired lead balls, which according to period reports, skipped across the ground towards the Boer lines, earning the little gun some measure of respect. The gun was nicknamed "The Wolf." Today it can be seen at the Royal Artillery's Firepower museum in England.
Photo credit: The South African National Archives.
Decoy artillery gun at Elandslaagte, consisting of a wooden beam, supported on the front wheels of a waggon. These decoy guns were widely used by the Boers with great success. The real guns were much more cunningly camouflaged so that the British wasted a lot of ammunition bombarding decoys, whilst missing the real guns.
Decoy gun at Elandslaagte.
Decoy gun at Vryheid--at long distance, a log, supported on makeship legs, served to fool the enemy into thinking that the position was protected by a real artillery piece.
The Old Pot
This mortar is simply identified as "De Ouwde Pot" or, "The Old Pot." It was used by the Boers during the Siege of Ladysmith, presumably to fire star shells for the purpose of illumination at night. This was mortar no. 16 from Bailey Pegg & Co. in England.
Photo credit: South African National Archives.
The photo caption suggests that this was a direct British hit on a Boer gun emplacement.
Photo credit: South African National Archives.
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