398 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
ON THE VALIDITY OF GENERAL SHRAPNEL’S CLAIM TO THE INVENTION 
OF SHELLS IN WHICH THE TRUE PRINCIPLE OF SHRAPNEL FIRE WAS 
FIRST ENUNCIATED AND APPLIED. 
BY CAPTAIN YIYIAN BERING MAJENDIE, B.A. 
CAPTAIN INSTETTCTOB, BOYAL XABOEATOEY. 
In the first decade of the present century, at the battles of Roliga and 
Yimiera, the Royal Artillery made use, for the first time, of a projectile 
which then bore a different name to that by which it is now generally 
known. The projectile was then called “Spherical case shot,”—a proper and 
instructive name enough, as we shall see by and bye, but which subsequently 
gave way to a name which we have always believed to be even more just 
and proper a one than that which was first applied to it: in time “ Spherical 
case shot ” came to be called “ Shrapnel shell.” And the reason why this 
name was thought to be a better name than the first,—though, in respect to 
the application and character of the projectile a less instructive one,—was 
this: It seemed to those who sanctioned its adoption that to connect 
the name of the officer who invented the shell inseparably with it, so that 
whenever men spoke of the projectile they could not choose but name, and 
thus in a sort of way acknowledge, its inventor, would be to erect a suit¬ 
able and imperishable monument to the inventor’s fame;—and the monument 
appeared the more suitable and desirable because the officer had received 
from the Government no pecuniary reward for his invention, and his family 
not being a rich one, it seemed probable that failing this monument he 
w r ould have none at 'all.* 
Thus “ Spherical case shot” came, and in the eyes of all English artillery¬ 
men came very properly and appropriately, to be called “ Shrapnel shell,” 
after the inventor, Henry Shrapnel, of the Royal Artillery. 
It is not perhaps very generally known that the validity of General 
Shrapnel’s claim to the invention has been disputed, by some foreign authors 
wdiose names and words ordinarily carry weight on the subjects which they 
treat. Such, nevertheless, is the case; and it will perhaps not appear an 
* The following extract from the Reports of the Select Committee explains how and when this 
name came to he officially given to the shell :—“ 2nd June, 1852. Report of the Committee on Mr 
Shrapnel’s letter of the 17th May, 1852, requesting, on behalf of the family of the late General 
Shrapnel of the Royal Artillery, the honour of the Board issuing an order that the spherical case 
shot be called shrapnel shells instead of spherical case by some and shrapnel shells by others, from 
the circumstance that other nations have long since done this honour of invariably attaching his 
name to this weapon, and because the family have not the means to afford the expense of erecting 
a monument awarded to the graves of other distinguished officers, but which such a distinction 
would be the means of representing. 
“ The Committee see no objection to this application of Mr Shrapnel, and solicit your Lordship’s 
authority for his request being granted.”— Synopsis of Ordnance Select Committee Reports.— 
Shrapnel shells, pp. 83, 84. 
