144 
Q.F. FIELD EQUIPMENTS ON THE CONTINENT. 
mucli greater than that of the bullets of a shrapnel shelly it had much 
greater searching effect against troops behind cover ; it was burst in 
the air by means of a time fuze, so that the splinters might strike 
down on the enemy. It used the same fuze (double action) as 
the shrapnel shell. The explosive, believed to be picric acid, was 
enclosed in a cardboard cylinder and was dropped into the shell 
through the fuze hole, which was a large one. 
General notes on the new equipment .—The weight of the equipment is 
stated variously to be 32 cwt. 76 lbs., or 33 cwt. 51 lbs. without 
gunners in each case. * The horse artillery equipment is said to weigh 
about 1 cwt. less than the field, so possibly the one weight applies to 
the field, the other to the horse artillery gun. Axle seats are provided 
for the former, but not for the latter, this appears to be the only differ¬ 
ence between the two. 
Thirty-six rounds are carried in each limber; there are six guns 
and nine ammunition wagons in each battery, two wagons carrying 
high explosive (Grranate) shell. By this means, 1008 rounds are carried 
in the battery or 168 rounds per gun (i.e. thirty-six in each limber, 
and fifty-two in each wagon body). On the battery goinginto action, 
three wagons accompany the guns and are placed eight metres in rear 
of the right guns of sections. The wagon bodies are either detached 
from the limbers or the teams are unhooked. In the former case, the 
ammunition baskets are withdrawn from the wagon limbers, and these 
then join the gun limbers. To facilitate the supply of ammunition 
from the wagon bodies after the limbers have been withdrawn, the 
wagon bodies are provided with two prop sticks. 
The detachment consists of a gun captain (who supervises generally) 
and five men. To save them from being deafened by continuous firing, 
it is laid down that they should be allowed to put cotton wool in their 
ears, and a supply of this is carried in the limbers. The officer com¬ 
manding the battery may, if he thinks fit, allow the men to kneel down 
when that does not interfere with their working the gun. When 
opportunity offers, the empty cartridge cases should be replaced in the 
baskets which are then fastened up and put back in the limber or 
wagon. 
As the layer has also to ram the shell home with the rammer, it is 
obvious that laying is interfered with by loading. The layer does not 
fire, but the number who opens and closes the breech does that. In 
the case of rapid fire, the gun captain has to assist in working the 
gun, and the gun is fired by his order; it is not run up unless necess¬ 
ary. The maximum rate of fire permitted is thirty rounds per battery 
a minute; for ordinary fire, four rounds per battery a minute is laid 
down. 
When seen at manoeuvres, the equipment is said to have appeared 
to be very light and mobile; the gun was obviously lower than in the 
old equipment. 
* The weight of the old field artillery equipment was 39 cwt. 32 lbs. (without gunners). The 
only difference between it and the old horse artillery equipment was that the latter had no axle- 
tree seats. 
