As well as the 18 pounders at the Royal Artillery Museum, they also have several other WW1 era exhibits, which i've covered in another thread but added a couple of items here which I didn't get photos of last time. Hope they're of interest
Barrel from a 4.5 inch howitzer - by the time of the Armistice there were almost a thousand in action on the Western Front, and a few were still in use by WW2.
The complete weapon
1917 Ford model T converted into a railway locomotive and used for hauling shells
Model of one of the figures that flank the Royal Artillery memorial at Hyde Park Corner
French 75mm gun - although obsolete by the start of the First World War, the French had so many in service they were successful through sheer numbers. They were also used by the British in small numbers
Rob, thanks for the excellent photographs ! All exhibits appear to be in prestine condition, and (most importantly) complete ! I'm curious about your remark regarding the 75mm Mle 1897. Is this assertion displayed on an informational placard/sign at the museum ?
Mud, Blood & Poppycock is an interesting book, particularly the chapter on the men who were executed. Gordon Corrigan's assessment is more clinical than that of modern-day sympathisers, but he is, of course, a military man. If his version is correct, then there were actually only one or two executions that might be considered unjustified. I know that's too many, but during all the discussion about the pardons I did get tired of people repeatedly saying that all those who were executed were shell-shocked and shot out of hand.
Anyway, about the 75: John Mosier, in The Myth of the Great War, along with many others, claims that the gun was not so much obsolete as overrated and unsuitable for trench warfare. Its shallow trajectory was better suited for use against troops in the open, whereas the extensive use of Minenwerfer and howitzers by the Germans gave them a distinct advantage. For the French, though, it acquired a mystique, largely because it was a symbol of French excellence after the embarrassment of the FPW. It still had its place, as did the 18pdr and the 7.7.
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