Ordnance QF 13 pounder
Encyclopedia
The Ordnance QF 13-pounder quick-firing field gun was the standard equipment of the British
Royal Horse Artillery
at the outbreak of World War I
.
It was developed as a response to combat experience gained in the Boer War
and entered service in 1904, replacing the Ehrhard QF 15 pounder
and BL 12 pounder 6 cwt
. It was intended as a rapid-firing and highly-mobile yet reasonably powerful field gun for Royal Horse Artillery
batteries attached to Cavalry divisions, which were expected to be engaged in mobile open warfare.
The original Mk I barrel was wire wound. Later Mk II barrels had a tapered inner A tube which was pressed into the outer tube.
The first British artillery round on the Western Front in World War I was fired by No. 4 gun of E Battery Royal Horse Artillery
on 22 August 1914, northeast of Harmignies
in Belgium.
It saw action most famously at the Battle of Le Cateau
in August 1914 as the British Expeditionary Force retreated from Mons
.
It was used to great effect by "L" Bty, Royal Horse Artillery
in its famous defensive action on September 1 1914 at Néry
, France, for which 3 Victoria Crosses were awarded. The medals and No. 6 gun involved in this action are exhibited at the Imperial War Museum, London.
From late 1914, when the Western Front
settled into trench warfare
, the 13-pounder was found to be too light to be truly effective against prepared defensive positions. As a result, it was increasingly supplanted by the 18-pounder.
As the war progressed, however, the increasing air activity created a requirement for a medium anti-aircraft gun. Redundant 13-pounders were slightly modified to become "Ordnance QF 13 pdr Mk III" and mounted on high-angle mounts to produce what became known as the 13 pounder 6 cwt anti-aircraft gun
.
In 1940, some 13-pounders were brought out of store for use as emergency anti-tank guns, mounted in pill box
es, for the home defence of Britain against possible German invasion.
For combat purposes the gun is long obsolete, yet it remains in service with the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery
for ceremonial and salute purposes.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
at the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
History
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and entered service in 1904, replacing the Ehrhard QF 15 pounder
Ordnance QF 15 pounder
The Ordnance QF 15 pounder gun, commonly referred to as the Ehrhardt, was a modern German field gun purchased by Britain in 1900 as a stopgap measure to upgrade its field artillery to modern QF standards, while it developed its own alternative...
and BL 12 pounder 6 cwt
Ordnance BL 12 pounder 6 cwt
The Ordnance BL 12 pounder 6 cwt was a lighter version of the British 12 pounder 7 cwt gun, used by the Royal Horse Artillery. The "6 cwt" referred to the weight of the gun and barrel to differentiate it from other 12 pounders guns...
. It was intended as a rapid-firing and highly-mobile yet reasonably powerful field gun for Royal Horse Artillery
Royal Horse Artillery
The regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
batteries attached to Cavalry divisions, which were expected to be engaged in mobile open warfare.
The original Mk I barrel was wire wound. Later Mk II barrels had a tapered inner A tube which was pressed into the outer tube.
The first British artillery round on the Western Front in World War I was fired by No. 4 gun of E Battery Royal Horse Artillery
E Battery Royal Horse Artillery
E Battery Royal Horse Artillery are a Close Support Battery of 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery They are currently based in Assaye Barracks in Tidworth-Current Role:...
on 22 August 1914, northeast of Harmignies
Harmignies
Harmignies is a village near the Belgian town of Mons in the province of hainaut.- Gallery :...
in Belgium.
It saw action most famously at the Battle of Le Cateau
Battle of Le Cateau
The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on 26 August 1914, after the British, French and Belgians retreated from the Battle of Mons and had set up defensive positions in a fighting withdrawal against the German advance at Le Cateau-Cambrésis....
in August 1914 as the British Expeditionary Force retreated from Mons
Battle of Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
.
L (Néry) Battery Royal Horse Artillery
L Battery Royal Horse Artillery are the Tactical Group Battery of 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. They are currently based in Assaye Barracks in Tidworth.-Current Role:...
in its famous defensive action on September 1 1914 at Néry
Action at Néry
Néry is set in a north-south oriented valley around a small river, which feeds into the River Autonne to the north; it is overlooked from the east and west by high bluffs. The main landmark was a sugar factory, just south of the village, where L Battery were billeted; the cavalry regiments were...
, France, for which 3 Victoria Crosses were awarded. The medals and No. 6 gun involved in this action are exhibited at the Imperial War Museum, London.
From late 1914, when the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
settled into trench warfare
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
, the 13-pounder was found to be too light to be truly effective against prepared defensive positions. As a result, it was increasingly supplanted by the 18-pounder.
As the war progressed, however, the increasing air activity created a requirement for a medium anti-aircraft gun. Redundant 13-pounders were slightly modified to become "Ordnance QF 13 pdr Mk III" and mounted on high-angle mounts to produce what became known as the 13 pounder 6 cwt anti-aircraft gun
QF 13 pounder 6 cwt AA gun
The Ordnance QF 13 pounder Mk III anti-aircraft gun, also known as 13 pounder 6 cwt, was an early British improvisation in World War I to adapt the 13 pounder field gun to anti-aircraft use...
.
In 1940, some 13-pounders were brought out of store for use as emergency anti-tank guns, mounted in pill box
British hardened field defences of World War II
British hardened field defences of World War II were small fortified structures constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations. They were popularly known as pillboxes by reference to their shape.-Design and development:...
es, for the home defence of Britain against possible German invasion.
For combat purposes the gun is long obsolete, yet it remains in service with the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery
King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery
The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery is a ceremonial unit of the British Army. It is a mounted unit and all of its soldiers are trained to drive a team of six horses that pull each of the six First World War-era 13-pounder state saluting guns...
for ceremonial and salute purposes.
Ammunition
 |
 |
 |
.jpg) |
234 balls, 41/lb |
Shell contained 9oz 4dr (262 gm) Amatol Amatol Amatol is a highly explosive material made from a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate. Its name originates from the words ammonium and toluene... explosive (white area). Cartridge held 1 lb 3.9 oz (536 gm) Cordite Cordite Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom from 1889 to replace gunpowder as a military propellant. Like gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burning rates and consequently low brisance... propellant (simulated with bundle of cut string) |
See also
- Edward Kinder BradburyEdward Kinder BradburyCaptain Edward Kinder Bradbury VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
- George Thomas DorrellGeorge Thomas DorrellLieutenant-Colonel George Thomas Dorrell VC, MBE was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
- David Nelson
- List of field guns
- QF 13 pounder 6 cwt AA gunQF 13 pounder 6 cwt AA gunThe Ordnance QF 13 pounder Mk III anti-aircraft gun, also known as 13 pounder 6 cwt, was an early British improvisation in World War I to adapt the 13 pounder field gun to anti-aircraft use...
: WWI improvised anti-aircraft version - QF 13 pounder 9 cwtQF 13 pounder 9 cwtThe 13 pounder 9 cwt anti-aircraft gun became the standard mobile British anti-aircraft gun of the World War I era, especially in theatres outside Britain...
: later WWI anti-aircraft version (18 pounder gun modified to fire 13 pounder ammunition)
Surviving examples
- With the King's Troop, Royal Horse ArtilleryKing's Troop, Royal Horse ArtilleryThe King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery is a ceremonial unit of the British Army. It is a mounted unit and all of its soldiers are trained to drive a team of six horses that pull each of the six First World War-era 13-pounder state saluting guns...
, London - The Néry Gun at Imperial War MuseumImperial War MuseumImperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
Victoria Cross and George Cross Gallery, London - Ammunition wagon of L Battery, at Imperial War Museum, Duxford, England
- No. 4 gun of E Battery RHA, which fired the first British artillery round of WWI on the Western Front. At Imperial War Museum NorthImperial War Museum NorthImperial War Museum North is a museum in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. One of the five branches of the Imperial War Museum, the museum explores the impact of modern conflicts on people and society. It is the first branch of the Imperial War Museum to be...
, Manchester UK - Canadian War Museum, Ottawa
- Fort Seclin - 1914/1918 Museum (Between Ypres and Vimy - Near Fromelles)
- Musee des Abris, Albert, France. (Mk. 2)
- There are 6 examples in South Africa : Pictures available on request, please contact via the 1914-1918 forum noted below :
- 1 being restored, see http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=122427&view=getnewpost,
- 1 at THA HQ in Johannesburg,
- 2 with the NFA in Durban,
- 2 at our National Memorial in Potchefstroom.