Numbers

[Bob McNeill]

Mike, thanks, Dad was was 2/9th and they eventually had 2 short 25s at different times, one before 18 battery went to Dutch NG and one after. I,ve been lucky enough to obtain a shield for a short 25 which has 2/4th written on it. Checked my other frame and couldn,t come up with anything of value. Dad is third on left in Nth Qld, in Canberra in last and he still doesn,t like the Short.

[Mike Cecil]

I see you aimed the display at Parliament House, rather than the High Court!! It would have to be a toss-up, wouldn't it?

He's not alone: when I interviewed several gunners back in the '80s (before the first Profile was written) it became quickly evident that the 'Guns, QF, 25-pdr (Short)' were almost universally despised by gunners who had the misfortune to have to use them.
(The Jungle Scale regiments, usually one Battery per Regiment, the other batteries being equipped with the un-modified 25-pdr.)

Were you aware your gun was a combat veteran? Will you mark it as 2/1 Aust Fd Regt?

Mike C

[Bob McNeill]

Mike, deliberate move and a number of people took photo,s from breech end, note the No 5 Carbine also on trail, shortened lighter muzzle flash hider not accurate, all the problems of the 25,s. Will have to redo the Short into its correct configuration [ the old man can disown it then ] now that we have
a history. this unit has parts of several shorts in its makeup [ 124 , 130 ] as nearly all shorts sold out of Bathurst in 46-47. Thanks

[David Dunlop]

Mike. You have my curiosity now. Why were these guns so disliked?

David

[Mike Cecil]

Hi David,

The crux of the matter was the short barrel, no shield, light weight and no traversing platform, all of which contributed to, at firing, the gun bouncing and getting way off line after each shot and the mighty back blast/shock wave with each shot with the high discomfort for the crew that resulted.

A few shots were bad enough, but apparently the firing a mission was particularly hard on the crew: headaches, ears ringing, etc etc

Doubtless Bob, who has a direct line to an old gunner with Short experience, can provide more, but I think the above pretty much covers the main aspects as I gleaned them from earlier interviews.

Mike C

[Bob McNeill]

Dad started his gunner experience on 18Pr,s of several Marks and when they went to the Middle East the 2-9th had 4.5 howitsers and the British 25,s. On return to Australia, once in Nth Qld they prepared for New Guinea. After using one of the best Field Guns ever made to be given a Short 25 which had 48" off the barrel, 16" off recoil cylinders, no shield, had to be relaid after every shot, regularly cracked the trail welds, did not sit well with the gunners. The fact that the Short 25 was scrapped out in 1946 says something.

[David Dunlop]

Wow! Sounds like something designed by a civil servant and not a gunner!

Thank you both for the explanation.


David