"David" high-velocity anti-tank gun

[rob love]

There was a "6 pounder" sitting in front of 2PPCLI when it was in Winnipeg, When they moved to Shilo, it too came to Shilo, located in front of the HQ area of their complex. As it turned out, it was on loan from the RCA Museum.
They had a large anniversary in 2014 , and wanted to tow it behind one of three carriers at displays that summer that they were attending. The tires were well past their prime, and they asked if we could install new tires. I was not full time at the museum yet, so volunteered to bring the old tires home, remove and sandblast the rims, install new tires and re-install them. Next thing they wanted it painted up. I offered them a 20 footer (looks good from 20 feet away) so I recovered the gun and gave it a quick sandblast. It was then that I noticed the bore was closer to 40mm rather than the 57mm of a 6 pounder. Also, a 6 pounder muzzle break that I had picked up off MLU was way too large for the end of the barrel. Also, the forward barrel clamp was too large. Looking at the barrel, it almost looked hodge-podged.....something was a little off about the area where the barrel tapered.

Anyway, I queried Doug Knight here in Canada. and he pointed out that it was likely "David".

PPCLI did not want it back, and I had intended to use it for some parades and displays with the museum myself, but it was sent out to the golf course to full-fill a request by them for lawn ornaments.

I sent some photos of it to Harold Skaarup, who has some terrific pages showing all the monuments in Canada. You will find it on this page, although it will be somewhat confusing since it is shown on the page as a "David" 2pr, and just below that entry it is still shown as a 6pr.

http://silverhawkauthor.com/artiller...useum_423.html

According to Doug Knight, it had a barrel life of about 150 rounds. if I recall. He has a paragraph or two about it in one of the Service Publications booklets on the 2pr.

[Tony Williams]

Many thanks Rob, that's great information - and a great site you've linked to!

[rob love]

Looking at the thread on BOCN that you linked to, I see there still exists an original round for this gun. I am not sure that we even have a round for it.

Could you imagine trying to identify something like that in the days before the internet?

[Ed Storey]

Here is a photograph of "David" when it when it was still parked beside the parade square at CFB Winnipeg in 1997. I wonder what happened to the brass plaque that was on the gun shield?

C317-25 (David).jpg

[rob love]

No idea about the plaque.....if you look at the photos of the gun on the link I gave, there is one with a plaque of some form sitting loose on the breech ring. That photo was taken here in Shilo before I worked on the gun, so if that was the plaque you were talking about, then it appears to have found it's way loose.

[Ed Storey]

Yup that looks like it. I was hoping the plaque would be wartime with some unique information on it - oh well. Good to hear that Shilo has the gun and that it is not sitting in a scrap yard.

Any idea where the Pak 38 went that was sitting with "David" on the same parade square?

[rob love]

The PAK38 is still at 2VP.

There was a carrier there as well. The carrier had been assembled out of two, and was a bastardized mix of mk1 armour on a mk2 hull. They tried (unsuccessfully) to get it running for the anniversary that year. Later, a funding arrangement was made and it came to the museum for overhaul. I was able to get the engine running in short order, but out-door storage, a lot of wear, along with some 30 years of patchwork maintenance had really taken a toll on it. It was stripped just about to the bare hull and is now finally looking like something. It shoudl finally move under it's own power this week, once the steering box is back together and the linkages are adjusted. I think it will be one of the best carriers I have restored to date, although there are still signs on the lower that it was a mk2. Alas, that would be another thread.

[Tony Williams]

Originally Posted by rob love

Looking at the thread on BOCN that you linked to, I see there still exists an original round for this gun. I am not sure that we even have a round for it.

Could you imagine trying to identify something like that in the days before the internet?

There are some paper data files available on the dimensions of 20+mm calibre cartridge cases, the best known being one by Bob Hawkinson in the USA. Even that doesn't include this round though - too rare. So yes, I have to admit that the internet is marvellously useful to those of us with obscure hobbies!

Do your sources say anything about the muzzle velocity achieved with different weights and types of projectile?

[rob love]

I have nothing on them. I guess Doug Knight would be the guy to get a hold of. I am guessing he got his information from Archives Canada.

Not sure if we have any information in the museum's library. It's a different building than the one I work in, so I don't have much to do with that stuff.

Perhaps if somebody has Doug's booklet on the 2 pounder in Cdn service, they could relate what information is in there.

[Tony Williams]

Originally Posted by rob love

Perhaps if somebody has Doug's booklet on the 2 pounder in Cdn service, they could relate what information is in there.

I would be grateful if they could.

Can anyone help?

[Ed Storey]

$10.00Can plus postage will get anyone the book from Service Publications.

https://servicepub.com/product/the-2...nadian-service