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Description: | SIR WG ARMSTRONG - WHITWORTH & Co LTD
ELSWICK WORKS NEWCASTLE 1918
Described in the acquisition register as simply 'Sir W G Armstrong name-plate', this item is believed to be a relic from the massive British 14in BL Railway Gun 'HMG Boche-Buster' - made by Armstrong Whitworth and Co. One of two 14-in guns originally built on order for Japan but unable to be delivered; the Elswick Ordnance Company had both weapons proofed at the beginning of 1918. They arrived in France in May 1918 and were issued to 471 Siege Battery. 'Boche-Buster' was sent to Arras, and the second gun, 'HMG Scene-Shifter', to a location near Bethune. Note that during the Second World War two 18in BL Railway Howitzers were brought into service as auxiliary coast defence weapons at Dover; one of these guns was also christened 'Boche-Buster'; see image reference H 6091 (held by the IWM's Photograph Archive) showing this weapon with its name plaque clearly revealed.
Polaroid photo in signs card index
Nameplate believed to be from the carriage of a large calibre railway gun. Similar plaque appears in photos of 18-inch rail guns.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Armstrong Whitworth and Co Ltd | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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