Amount of ammunition carried in an artillery limber

Does anyone know how much ammunition was carried in an artillery limber?

If so what was the breakdown of ammunition between the varying types?

In hope,

JY

Major DD Hall
South African Military history Society

"their empty jam tins to the Gunners, who were then able to make more case shot for their guns.

Isandlwana - 22nd January, 1879
Section N/5 Battery
Two 7 prs
Rocket Battery
Three rocket troughs
N/5 Battery (less one section) accompanied Lord Chelmsford on his abortive reconnaissance in force, and took no part in the battle. The Rocket Battery, with its equipment carried on mules, then accompanied Col Durnford's force when it also moved out of camp; but the battery was unable to keep up with the remainder. When firing was heard to their left, the Rocket Battery and its escort turned in that direction, but they were almost immediately engulfed by the Zulus. There was only time to get off one rocket before the enemy was upon them.
Maj Stuart Smith, the Captain (or second in command) of N/5 Battery, returned from Lord Chelmsford's force before the Zulus attacked, and took command of the artillery left behind. This only amounted to one section of two guns-and fifty men left in camp.
The Zulus advanced very rapidly when they attacked. The guns opened fire, but it was soon necessary to change to case shot, which is not normally used at ranges greater than 300 m. The two guns were quite incapable of stopping the Zulu masses. After a round or two, the order was given to retire. Maj Stuart Smith was wounded, and there were other casualties as well. There was no time for the men to take their seats on the guns and limbers when the guns moved off, and they had to run alongside the guns.
The intention was to take up another position at the camp, but the Zulus were there first. The guns went straight through the camp, losing more men on the way. Eventually, they became stuck in a ravine, and the drivers, who now alone remained, were pulled off their horses and killed. There was no time to spike* the guns.
{*To spike a gun, a spike (like a nail) was hammered into the vent, thus preventing the firing of the gun.}
N/5 Battery had lost Maj Stuart Smith, 61 NCOs and men, two guns, 24 horses, 30 mules and 534 rounds of ammunition. The Rocket Battery lost Maj Russell, six men and all its equipment.
Any help John?

And


PostSubject: Zulu War Artillery Sun Nov 27, 2011 9:54 pm Reply with quote





Good evening

This is the kind of information I found for the 9 PDRS RML gun in theThe South African Military History Society.

Military History Journal
Vol 3 No 5 - June 1976
AMMUNITION — PART II 9-PR 8 cwt RML
by MAJOR DD HALL

Shell, RML, shrapnel, 9 pr.
It is possible that the fairly extensive use of shrapnel by the Royal Artillery resulted from the number issued to each gun. There were 96 shrapnel shells per gun, compared with 48 common smells and 4 case shot. The shrapnel shell had its interior filled with 63 bullets embedded in resin.
Shrapnel was used against scattered troops and skirmishers in open, fairly level ground, beyond the effective range of case. It was considered to be merely case adapted to long ranges. Although the shell could be fired to 3200 m (3500 yds) at 11deg 27min elevation, the time fuze was effective only to 9 seconds which meant a shrapnel range of only 2 650 m (2 900 yds).

I think the second post emanated from Pascall

Frank,

Thanks that, I had the information in the first post, but I can’t say I’d seen that in the second post previously.

I know that Richard Harrison wrote a piece in the Royal Engineers Professional Papers, where he compared the British artillery with that of other armies, where he gave such information.

Regards,

JY

Frank,

I followed the lead and I found Daryl Hall’s article on http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol035dh.html

The information regarding that on the limber is in a table near the end of the article.

Regards,

JY