“An officer of artillery who runs out of ammunition in mid-battle merits
death.” Napoleon
15
Pdr. Artillery Shell: The 15 pounder shell shown here was a
standard artillery shell used by horse drawn artillery pieces in the Boer War.
Markings in the base identify it as a “15 PR” made for the British military.
The shell is 11” high,
is capped with a brass fuse and bound with a copper “driving ring” on the
bottom. When a shell is fired it is not
dangerous. It is basically just a hunk of metal which – after it is “fired” -
is being spun round by the brass drive ring engaging the grooves in the barrel
sending the shell spinning out the barrel.
Still not dangerous; there
are many cases where artillery shells like these just hit something and made
small holes in the wall or on the ground. There was no “serious” damage done
because the shell simply failed to explode. However, with the specimens on
display, it is clear that this was not the case and that they actually
exploded.
It is the fuse which
made the shell deadly. It was graduated with increments in seconds in a ring
around the top. Before loading it, an artilleryman would dial in the seconds
that should lapse before the shell explodes, after it has been fired. Often, this was timed to go off as the shell
was still in the air over the enemy, sending shrapnel balls – some 200 could be
packed inside – down into the men covering the trenches.[1] If
dispatched accurately, these shells could be extremely deadly.
The particular shells
on display were found on the erstwhile Rietvly (271 JQ) farm of Dr. Dolf Smith
and his wife, Mrs. Lesley Smith. This farm is located not too far away from
here, somewhere in between Kedar and Rustenburg. The Smiths purchased the farm
in the early nineties from Dr. Charlie Payne, who had inherited it from his
father. The farm had been divided previously and Charlie's sister
inherited her portion of it, she married Thinus Smit and the
Smiths became their new neighbours.
Dr Smith developed his
farm house halfway up the mountain on the white (and what they believe to
be) dolomite rocks. In this process, he also had to make a road to access
the house, drill for water and fence the place.
The Smiths found a Boer
War camp site on the farm, the rock walls were very obvious. While
fencing the farm, Dr. Smith came across these shell cases. The Smiths also
discovered a furrow which extended over the mountain. They are unsure whether
it was dug by the Boers or the Brits.
The Smiths donated
these shells to Kedar Heritage Lodge, Conference Centre & Spa in 2015 and
Mrs. Smith has the following to say:
“My husband, who turns 93 years old this month (December 2015), has
a particular interest in the period as his father fought in the
Boer War under Gen. de Wet where his right thumb was shot off. After
seeing Kedar, he said he wished he could have shown his father your collection.
We took Latie, my husband’s son, who practises in Rustenburg, to Kedar
last week and his reaction was, if possible, even greater than ours!”
“We have always admired countries that preserve their heritage and felt
that many South Africans do not appreciate what a rich history we have.
We thank you for what you have done, and are doing. We are expecting
our first great grandchild in May next year and it is reassuring to know that
he will be able to see evidence of what transpired during that period.”
