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The Somme 1916 - Part 2

6 inch Howitzer Mk I

The 6 Inch 26cwt Howitzer Mk I was one of the main stay of heavy artillery weapons deployed by the British and used by the British and French during the Great War. It soldier on after the war being used by the BEF in France in 1939/40 and in the Western Desert in 1941/42. The Great War was one might say a war of men and artillery, and it was during the war that effective artillery shelling really developed. It’s had to believe that in 1915 there was the great shell crisis when guns were limited to 5/6 round per day and in fact the scandal was so great that they Army almost ran out of bullets. Artillery fire accounted for the highest number of casualties. The British fought in cloth caps during 1914/15 and casualties from shell fire were high leading to the introduction of the Brodie Helmet in 1916.