United Kingdom - Artillery - Military equipment - 1918

Shell casings for the 13 QF gun WWI With its two fuze types: percussion type 101 and time-delay type 88 This lot comes from the Ypres region in Belgium The QF 13-pounder gun was developed in response to experience gained during the Boer War and entered service in 1904, replacing the Ehrhard QF 15-pounder and the BL 12-pounder 6 cwt. Designed as a field gun with a rapid rate of fire, high mobility and relatively powerful, it was intended for the batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) supporting cavalry brigades and was planned for mobile field warfare. Its development ran in parallel with that of the QF 18-pounder used by the Royal Field Artillery. The first British artillery shell fired on the Western Front during World War I was fired by No. 4 gun of Battery E of the Royal Horse Artillery on 22 August 1914, northeast of Harmignies, Belgium. It was used during the Battle of Le Cateau in August 1914, during the retreat of the British Expeditionary Force from Mons. It was also employed by Battery “L” of the Royal Horse Artillery during the defensive Battle of Néry, in France, on 1 September 1914, an action for which three Victoria Crosses were awarded. The medals, as well as Gun No. 6 and its limber used during this action, are kept in the collections of the Imperial War Museum.

Estimate:$44.81

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