Hi Phil.
Been looking at possible info on the net for this equipment in use in World War 2 but finding little reliable data. The guns themselves definitely seem to be late WW1 design and production. Two different makers built 12-inch Rail Mounted Howitzers during WW1. One maker had a longer barrelled design, which these appear to fit. They came in a Mk !, Mk II and MK III version, The latter very distinctive in that both the recuperator and recoil assemblies were combined in a single unit on it, below the barrel. The earlier marks had one above and one below. The Mk III was also distinctive in that it was capable of 120 degrees traverse on the rail car, left and right. The Mk II could traverse roughly within the width of the rail car and the Mk I had no traverse capability at all, relying soley on moving up and down a curved track at it's firing point to achieve 'traverse'. These WW2 howitzers would likely be recycled WW1 Mk V's, sitting on brand new designed rail cars. None of the WW1 photos on line show any rail mounts looking at all like these from LMS.
World War 2 usage of these howitzers is alluded to on several sites, ranging in time from 1940 to at least 1943. One photo credited to a Newfoundland Artillery Regiment shows them firing one somewhere in England in 1941, but the rail car does not look like those shown. A second photo credited to an Australian Artillery unit shows a heavily camouflaged one being fired somewhere in France in 1944. The design of part of the rail car looks like those shown, but the gun itself is too well hidden to confirm if it is the same or not. I also do not know if the Australians had any heavy artillery units in NW Europe at that time.
Cheers for now
David
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