8 
ISecforcls ©f I®. & Xffountfiiifi battery, W.A. 
THE records of No. 3 Mountain Battery, Royal Artillery, printed at the 
‘ Pioneer ’ Press, Allahabad, have just been received from India. They are of 
peculiar interest as besides a brief notice of the Battery’s service in the American 
War of Independence, the West India Islands, the Peninsula, Holland and 
Belgium, they give a very full account of the series of mountain fights in which 
the battery has had the" good fortune to be engaged since it was specially 
selected to take over mountain equipment towards the end of 1879. 
They were the first to receive the ■*. jointed or screw guns,’ this was early in 
1880 and since then ‘ they have used none other.’ With them they have served 
in the field; 1880 in Afghanistan ; 1884 Zhob Valley ; 1886-87 Burma ; 1888 
Sikkim; 1891 Miranzai; 1892 Isazai; 1895 Chitral Relief; 1897 Mohmand 
Eield Force ; 1897-98 Tirah Field Force. 
The records give clear and concise accounts of each action in which the battery 
took part and the names of each officer and staff N.C.O. present with it on 
any occasion of interest are set forth at length. 
It is a good specimen of what a battery’s records should be. 
A lovely day towards the end of June; a hearty welcome and the noble 
hospitality of the ‘ Rag ’ extended to each one able to come from Woolwich. 
Soon a move is made, a flying journey through fields of strawberries and fresh 
cut hay and past “ The Home of flowers ’ and ’ere we have time to tire a drive 
through broadly rolling hills lands us, though far from sight or sound of war, 
beside a battery of guns. 
What can this mean ? — simply that the firm of Vickers Sons and Maxim, 
Limited, are entertaining a large party, including many officers of the Regiment, 
to view firing with their newest Q,.F. field guns. 
Their proof range, situated less than 20 miles from town, is close to some of 
Kent’s loveliest scenery: — here surrounded by haymakers the roar of 12-^-prs. 
and sharper crack of 37 mm. gun, sound somewhat out of place. But, after 
time to look round how familiar it all is—here, a small detachment of five 
neatly uniformed numbers contains an old friend in an ex-sergeant-major of the 
c Shop ’; there, on the paulins laid out by classes are the rounds ready for firing ; 
close by, the familiar whirr of the telephone bell and question ■ Is the range 
clear ?’ recall old days at Lydd or Shoebury. 
Then, as the range is blocked, each gun and all its parts are clearly shown by 
one, though of the sister service, well known to many, through years of duty in 
the Arsenal. 
And now the range is clear, shot after shot, burst after burst are watched, 
reported and noted with all the care and regularity of the Arsenal Butts. Then 
come rounds for speed — five in less than 24 seconds—all bursting regularly, no 
need to run up or do more than open, close the breech and pull the lanyard. 
Next a move is made to the little mountain gun, from which a shell of 20 lbs. is 
fired, after some rounds of 13|lbs., burst with the Krupp fuze ; of these last the 
range report comes back ‘ 18,’ ‘ 18,’ * 20,’ ‘ 19 short’. 
One of us, just back from Egypt, tells how the work of running up and 
revolving the wheels so as to engage the check ropes of even this, small gun soon 
became trying to the detachments, so heavy was the artillery fire at the Atbara 
River. Lastly, rounds are fired from the 37 mm. machine gun — 1 lb. shots 
poured in a constant stream as if mere ’303, 
