British 4.2-inch Heavy Mortar

[Doug Knight]

Hi

A technical question on British 4.2-inch mortar base plates. The history of RCEME in North-west Europe notes that there were problems with the baseplate essentially being beaten into the soft ground on firing. It is not specific about the solution.

The Canadian War Museum has a large square metal carrier that the baseplate fits into, with four rope handles. It could just be a carrier, or it could be an additional strengthened baseplate for soft ground. The mortar manuals are silent on the problem.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Doug Knight