RML 9-pounder 8 and 6 cwt guns explained

RML 9-pounder 8 cwt gun
Origin:	United Kingdom
Type:	Field gun
Is Artillery:	yes
Is Ranged:	yes
Is Explosive:	yes
Is Uk:	yes
Service:	1871–1895
Used By:	British Empire
Designer:	Woolwich Arsenal
Manufacturer:	Woolwich Arsenal
Variants:	9 pdr 8 cwt Mark I (Land Service) 8 cwt Mark II (Naval Service) 6 cwt Mark I (N.S.) 6 cwt Mark II (L.S.) 6 cwt. Mark III (N.S.) 6 cwt Mark IV (N.S.)
Weight:	8-2NaN-2 or 6-2NaN-2
Cartridge:	9.1lb (common shell) 9.8lb (shrapnel)
Action:	RML
Velocity:	1330ft/s
Range:	3500yd
Breech:	none – muzzle-loading

The RML 9-pounder 8 cwt gun and the RML 9-pounder 6 cwt gun were British Rifled, Muzzle Loading (RML) field, horse and naval artillery guns manufactured in England in the 19th century, which fired a projectile weighing approximately 9lb. "8 cwt" and "6 cwt" refers to the weight of the gun to differentiate it from other 9-pounder guns.

Service history

The 9-pounder 8 cwt Rifled Muzzle Loader was the field gun selected by the Royal Artillery in 1871 to replace the more sophisticated RBL 12 pounder 8 cwt Armstrong gun, which had acquired a reputation for unreliability.^[1] The gun was rifled using the system developed by William Palliser, in which studs protruding from the side of the shell engaged with three spiral grooves in the barrel.^[2] In 1874, a 6 cwt version was introduced for horse artillery and was later adopted for field artillery use, replacing the 8 cwt version. All variants used the same ammunition, which took the form of shrapnel shell, case shot and common shell.

The 9-pounder remained in front-line service with the Royal Artillery until 1878 when the RML 13 pounder 8 cwt gun was introduced, however it remained in use with colonial forces until 1895 and saw action in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, the First Boer War of 1881 and the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882.^[3] A number were issued to British Artillery Volunteer units, with the 1st Ayrshire and Galloway Artillery Volunteers being issued with some guns as late as 1901.^[4]

Variants

• 9-pounder 8 cwt Mark I (Land Service): Introduced into the Royal Artillery in 1871. It was later withdrawn and modified for sea service.
• 9-pounder 8 cwt Mark II (Naval Service): Introduced in 1873 by the Royal Navy.
• 9-pounder 6 cwt Mark I (N.S.): A few were made for experimental trials but they proved to be too short; some were issued to the Royal Indian Navy. In 1873, forty five were completed for use as boat guns.
• 9-pounder 6 cwt Mark II (L.S.): A new design in 1874 for the Royal Horse Artillery, it was longer than the 8 cwt gun but had the same carriage.
• 9-pounder 6 cwt Mark III (N.S.): Introduced in 1879, a modified Mark II for naval service.
• 9-pounder 6 cwt Mark IV (N.S.): Similar to the Mark III with a steel jacket instead of wrought iron previously used, and with a strengthened cascabel.^[5]

Surviving examples

• Royal Artillery Museum (the collection is currently in storage awaiting relocation to a new site)^[6]
• Fort Nelson, Hampshire, Royal Armouries Collection
• Southsea Castle, Hampshire, England^[7]
• North Battleford Museum, Saskatchewan
• CFB Petawawa, Ontario
• New Brunswick Military History Museum, CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick
• Fort Hughes (New Brunswick), New Brunswick
• Royal Kennebecasis Yacht Club, New Brunswick
• Fort Anne, Nova Scotia
• Fort St Catherine, Bermuda
• Australian Army Artillery Museum, Manly, New South Wales^[8]
• Fort Lytton Military Museum, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia – gun and ammunition
• Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery, Montréal^[9]
• Telangana State Archaeology Museum, Hyderabad, India

See also

• List of field guns

Further reading

• Captain John F Owen R.A., "Treatise on the Construction and Manufacture of Ordnance in the British Service", Prepared in the Royal Gun Factory, London, 1877, pages 254-257, 292.

External links

• 9 Pounder Club of preserved and display guns in Canada
• Handbook for the 9-pr. R.M.L. guns of 6 cwt. and 8 cwt. land service, 1889, 1892, 1895 at State Library of Victoria
• Handbook for 9-pr. R.M.L. guns of 6 cwt. and 8 cwt. Land service 1895, 1901 at State Library of Victoria
• Handbook for 9-pr R.M.L. guns of 6cwt. and 8cwt., (Movable armament) 1898 at State Library of Victoria
• Armstrong RML 9-pounder Mark II – views of the 9-pounder gun and its limber from the original handbook. Courtesy of the Royal Artillery Historical Trust

Notes and References

1. Web site: Military History Journal, Vol 3 No 5: June 1976 – AMMUNITION – PART II 9-PR 8 cwt RML . Hall . DD (Major) . samilitaryhistory.org . The South African Military History Society . 29 May 2014.
2. Skaarup, Harold A (2012), Shelldrake: Canadian Artillery Museums and Gun Monuments iUniverse.com, (p. 131)
3. Goodrich, Caspar F (Lt Cdr), Report of the British Naval and Military Operations in Egypt 1882, Navy Department, Washington, 1885, p.231
4. Lt Gen Sir James Moncrieff Grierson, Records of the Scottish Volunteer Force 1859–1908, William Blackwood & Sons Ltd, 1909, p146
5. Web site: List of British Service Artillery in Use During the Victorian Period . Moore . David . www.victorianforts.co.uk . Victorian Forts and Artillery . 29 May 2014.
6. Web site: Announcement from The Master Gunner St James's Park . . 29 May 2020 . royalartillerymuseum.com . The Royal Artillery Museum . 11 January 2021.
7. Boxell, A L (2010), The Ordnance of Southsea Castle Tricorn books, (pp. 1–9)
8. Web site: ARTILLERY REGISTER – RML 9-pounder 6 cwt Mark III . ww.artilleryhistory.org . The Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company . 29 May 2014.
9. News: 19 century military cannon. 2014-11-11. Baburek.co. 2017-03-28. en-US.