18 pdr
Marc,
In your post, the fourth photo is of the 4.5" Howitzer.
The British Army at that time (WWI) had "field guns", the 13 and 18pdr, plus the 4.5" howitzer. There were larger calibre guns, but "field artillery" had these sizes.
Army doctrine at the time was predominantly "field pieces", whereas the German philosophy went more towards howitzers.
Inter-war years, and up to WWII, there were still a number of WWI artillery pieces in stock, the US had a number of the French 75mm guns.
Artillery development in Britain was slow, due in part to finances and also political pressures, (sound familiar??).
A lot of these guns were drawn out of the arsenals to go with the BEF and other commonwealth nations. In the interwar period a US manufacturer Martin Parry, designed a conversion to alter the old style "artillery wheel" of horse drawn guns to the "modern" inovation of motorised transport. The Martin Parry conversion was a hanger fitted to original axle with a stub axle that allowed the gun to be fitted with the smaller pneumatic tyres, but allowed the gun to remain at the same height. The conversion was fitted to the 4.5" howitzer, I have photos of the 4.5 with the conversion, and cast on the hanger body is [18 pdr].
The original series of photos show the 18pdr, with the pole trail.
A number of the stocks of 18pdrs were relined to create the 18/25pdr, and fitted to either a split trail or box trail. I think a lot of the split trail guns went to Commonwealth countries, and there is one in Eire.
The box trail was the one decided on for the British Army at the time. It became the fore-runner of the 25pdr.
So really it was not a fact that these guns were sent out as useless (they were), but it was all there was, and those had been converted on the cheap.
As an aside, the 6" Howitzer went to france in 1939/40, with at least three different patterns of wheel, the old artillery wheel, the same but with a rubber "band" tyre, on the rim and others with a conversion to pneumatic tyres.
As some of the artillery units were TA, they were issued pretty much with obsolete equipment.
Sorry for this rather "biblical proportion" of a response.
I am sure someone will correct my facts.
George.
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