Artillery, gun carriages and trucks

I refer to the letters by Denis A. Darmanin (August 20) and by Mario Farrugia (September 2).

In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, there were three functions assigned to the British Artillery and for each a special class of ordnance was designed. Garrison Artillery was designed for the defence of permanent fortifications. Siege Artillery could be classified as similar to Garrison and Field Artillery, as the name implies, was designed for mobility.

The 24-PDR guns shown in the picture accompanying Mr Farrugia’s letter are the Bloomfield’s Pattern Muzzle Loading (ML) Smooth Bore (SB) type mounted on iron carriages and were used by the British Artillery for Garrison Service. Naval service guns, regardless of calibre, were mounted on stepped wooden trucks.

The key to identifying a carriage is in the size and design of the wheels. If the description is “wheel”, it always refers to a large wooden one, often five feet in diameter, with spokes which were intended for mobility, while those of a smaller diameter, usually 20 inches, were known as trucks and mostly used in static positions.

This stepped wooden carriage was designed for both land and sea service, the difference primarily being distinguished only in the design of the smaller fittings and stores.

On sea service guns, trucks were made of wood, invariably oak, while those intended for land service were of a cast iron construction. Iron garrison mounts were manufactured for use during peacetime with the idea that the wooden mounts would be re­served for battle conditions.

The former ones were prone to shattering under prolonged fire, and an order of 1833 by The Master-General of Ordnance stated that a wooden carriage had to be held in reserve for each iron carriage in position.