18 Pdr Limber ( Aust )

[Mike Cecil]

Metro = Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Ltd, later became Metro-Cammell.

BRC&W = Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company.

The 18-pdr was issued with two aiming posts which were normally carried on the front of the shield on the carriage, not on the ammunition limber.

Aiming Posts, as far as I can ascertain, were 4 feet long with alternating 1.5 inch bands of white and black.The head was any one of: a rectangle, a diamond or a round.

The Australian Army converted only the Ammunition Wagons to pneumatic tyres and wheels for towing by a mechanised tractor, to become the ammunition limber of the 18-pdrs converted to pneumatic tyres and wheels. Horse-drawn ammunition limbers were unsuitable as they were fitted with a timber perch pole and had a different under-structure to support the ammunition box.

Live ammunition carried in the limber and wagon was always fitted with cartridge clips, a brass, four-armed clip with a woven canvas loop for extracting the cartridge from the rattan & leather basket. One arm was painted red and shaped so the clip could be easily unclipped from the base of the cartridge by hand.

The Fuze Indicator was 34.5 inches in overall length and was carried in a leather or canvas and leather cover. It was operated by the No.6 gun number when in action.

Lynn is right about the 'L' - it stands for Land Service.

Mike

[Mike K]

Some relevant scenes: Were the 18 pdr guns in this film supplied by the British in the M.E
or brought over from Australia ? Some of the trucks this Australian unit were using in Palestine are definitely British and were not shipped from Aust. i.e. Morris-Commercial.

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1068756

[Graeme Stephens]

Thanks Mariano, Lynn, Mike & Mike, I'll follow up the ' ~ Fuse Range Scale ' at near 34" surely it fits on the back door plate, ... just need a pic of one ?
the two Limbers went on display this weekend ( 99% ? ) finished.

[Graeme Stephens]

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1068756
an excellent film , lots of 18pdr gun and limber views, plus. Including at 01:05:00 'No.6' holding a " Fuze Indicator " - maybe. There is also a mention of Bob Sharman, my bad memory says I once met the Gent.

[Mike Cecil]

Excellent film footage, Mike. 18-pdr Mk.4P(LP) and 4.5-inch Howitzers. These are all Australian-owned guns converted to pneumatic wheels/tyres in Australia. All explained with plenty of images in the first two chapters of my book 'Fire! The 25-pdr in Australian Service' available from Trackpad Publishing.

Mike

[Graeme Stephens]

The Brake Cable actuates/pulls from the Truck (not yet), the cable runs to a wonderful Aussie cantilever, which at the top pulls a rod which is connected to a lever on a cross shaft that then rotates to both Brake back plates actioning thru cams to the Brake shoes.
If there is another connected unit, the through running cable at the bottom of the Cantilever then engages the second unit, to cause the same Braking - when there are no further towing units the Through running cable is parked on a hook at the rear of the mudguard.
A grease nipple is provided on the flex to help overcome friction.

it was even harder to understand when it was found as wreckage

[Graeme Stephens]

For my 18Pdr Limbers I’m happy to run 7.50 x 20 “ tyres, wrecks I’ve found seem to have used 8.25 x 20 ‘s. ….. The canvas covered steel mesh mudguards have been repaired and recovered.
And by the cast logo on the Hubs, Spyder and Brake drums, I’m assuming they were made by Sunshine Harvester in Sunshine, Victoria. The logo is similar to International Harvester.
Casting dates I’ve found are for 1939 & 1940.
The last pics show where the original Cartwheel Axle ran – with the new smaller diameter Tyre, the new axle had to be lowered – to raise the Limber body.
I have yet to find any technical records of the Pneumatization Program carried out on the 18pdr & 4.5 “ systems.
Hope you like my story - Gram