The Ordnance BL 12-pounder 6 cwtBritish military traditionally denoted smaller ordnance by the weight of its standard projectile, in this case approximately . "6 cwt" referred to the weight of the gun and barrel to differentiate it from other "12-pounder" guns. One hundredweight (cwt) is , so the total weight was was a lighter version of the British 12-pounder 7 cwt gun, used by the

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. Although the cavalry link rem ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

History

Problems arose when the standard BL 12-pounder 7 cwt gun was used in the great Indian cavalry manoeuvres of 1891. The carriage was found to be too complicated, and dust caused the metal surfaces of the axle traversing device to seize. It also proved too heavy for horse artillery, which was intended to support cavalry in battle, to manoeuvre. The 12-pounder 6 cwt gun was therefore developed in 1892, when the new more powerful

cordite Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in Britain since 1889 to replace black powder as a military firearm propellant. Like modern gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burni ...

replaced

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

, as a lighter version of the BL 12-pounder 7 cwt gun. It had a barrel shorter, on a lighter and simpler carriage, and it entered service in 1894. In 1899 a primitive recoil-absorbing system was added. The weapon was made obsolete in British service by the acquisition of the modern quick-firing Ehrhardt QF 15-pounder in 1901, and was replaced by that and later by the QF 13-pounder from 1905. No56FuzeMkIVC

The early No. 56 Fuze burned too fast, a maximum of only 13 seconds, and hence could only be time set for a maximum range of . The No. 57 "Blue" Fuze was introduced during the Boer war. It had a slower burning powder train and hence could be time set for ranges up to . A maximum range of was quoted in use in the First World War.

Combat use

Second Boer War

The gun was used by the Royal Horse Artillery, and together with the BL 15-pounder, it provided the main British firepower. Eighteen guns were also used by the Royal Canadian Artillery in this war. A total of 78 guns fired 36,161 shells.

World War I

A battery of 6 guns served in the East African Campaign as the 8th Field Battery. It arrived with the Calcutta Artillery Volunteers in October 1914, and the guns were towed by teams of oxen.Farndale 1988, page 316

Surviving examples

* The Central Museum of The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, Shilo Manitoba * One piece made in 1901 and marked "RCD 1907" on gun-metal sight mount, with King Edward VII cypher and crown inletted in top of barrel, parked in front of Stethem Hall, the HQ building of CFB Kingston. * Gun used by "D" Battery, Royal Canadian Field Artillery, at Leliefontein. Preserved at the

Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum (CWM) () is a National museums of Canada, national museum on the military history of Canada, country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military hist ...

* The

Royal Navy State Funeral Gun Carriage The Royal Navy State Funeral Gun Carriage is a converted BL 12-pounder 6 cwt gun, Ordnance, BL, 12 pdr 6 cwt, MK II, gun carriage which has been used in the UK to bear the coffin at the funeral processions of: Queen Victoria; King Edward VII; K ...

, used to carry the coffin of the deceased during

State funerals in the United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, state funerals are usually reserved for monarchs. The most recent was the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022. A state funeral may also be held to honour a highly distinguished figure following the ...

. In this role it is not pulled by horses but by ratings of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. State funerals are normally reserved for the monarch although a few notable non-monarch individuals like Winston Spencer Churchill and Lord Mountbatten have been given this honour, the most recent such funeral being Queen Elizabeth II's on 19 September 2022.

Notes

References

Bibliography

Text Book of Gunnery, 1902. LONDON : PRINTED FOR HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE, BY HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE
* Dale Clarke
British Artillery 1914–1919. Field Army Artillery. Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2004
* General Sir Martin Farndale
History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base 1914–18
* Major Darrell D. Hall

* Major Darrell D. Hall, [http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol024dh.html "Field Artillery of the British Army 1860–1960. Part I, 1860 – 1900" in The South African Military History Society. Military History Journal – Vol 2 No 4, December 1972] (web page is incorrectly titled 1900–1914) * Ian V. Hogg, I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914–1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972

External links

Handbook for the 12-PR. B.L., 6 cwt. gun, mark I-IV Horse artillery: 1896, 1898, 1901, 1903, 1905

from Victorian Forts and Artillery website {{DEFAULTSORT:BL 12-pounder 6 cwt Artillery of the United Kingdom Field guns World War I guns World War I artillery of the United Kingdom 76 mm artillery