"SHRAPNEL"

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 456, 27 July 1915, Page 6

"SHRAPNEL"

MADE IN NEW ZEALAND. TESTS AT TRENTHAM. APPARENTLY SATISFACTORY RESULTS. [From our own Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, July 26. For the first time in history shrapnel shells manufactured in the Dominion have been fired. This unique event took place at Trentham Camp this morning. At a comparatively early hour a number of members of Parliament and representatives of (he Parliamentary Press Gallery made the journey from Wellington to Trentham, included in the party being the maker of the new shells, Mr George Birch, of Blenheim, and his foreman, Mr Martin. The firing was done by a gun's crew of the 6th Reinforcement, men who have been well trained in the handling of the British 18-pounder quick-firing' field gun, under Captain Bartley. The test was a thorough one, and was conducted under the eyes of expert artillerists. BrigadierGeneral Robin, Commandant of the Forces, was present, accompanied by several members of the Headquarters Staff. Colonel E. F. C. Campbell, Ofiicer-Commanding the Wellington Coast Defence Forces, was also in attendance, with many officers of the New Zealand Garrison Artillery. The Line of Targets.

As the visitors arrived on the parade ground, a couple of guns dashed on to the field, and were swung round "'action front." Nearly a mile away—to be exact, 1700 yards —a line of khaki targets were to be seen dimly outlined on the side of the hill. This was the mark on which the guns would be trained. Captain Bartley gave a few sharp orders, and then came a deafening explosion, followed by a resounding echo from the hills and the near-by hutments. A few seconds later a puff of white smoke was seen above the target, followed by a shower of eju'th near the mark, antf the report of the bursting shell. Then came a short delay while the fire observers communicated to the gun the effect of its fire. The laying of the gun was altered to obviate the mistakes of the first shot, and then again—crash! The second shell Was screeching on its way. This time the burst of flame and the puff of smoke showed that the shell was exploded fairly over the middle of the target. The third followed a few moments later, right into the same spot. Shells Burst Well. After this qame, the test of the New Zealand-made projectile. Mr Birch had three shells on hand, and the result of their firing was anxiously awaited. One after another they burst beautifully over the targets, and to the layman it appeared that the firing was almost perfect. The experts, however, were able to point out a few defects. None„ of them appeared to be such defects as cannot be overcome.

The ultimate finding, of course, rests with a board of experts, but it seems that from what could be ; seen to-day, the New Zealand-made shells admirably fulfilled their purpose. As soon as the firing was i completed most of those who had watched the guns at work made a journey towards the target. This was a very trying experience, and not a single member of the party reached the target with dry feet. ! The path led through a series of bogs and thickets, and, if one was not fully impressed with the dignity of Parliament, it might have been humorous to see Mr Speaker leaving j his goloshes in the mud. The trials |of the troops who fought in the trenches in Flanders must have been microscopic to those of the gallant party who advanced through the mud of those marshes, but eventually perseverance prevailed over suffering, and the enthusiasts reached the targets. Retrieving the Fragments. Then began an hour of hard digging with picks, shovels, and pocketknives for leaden balls and shell fragments. Everyone who braved the journey came away with a trophy to commemorate the occasion. One man was lucky enough to dig up the body of one of the Imperial shells and one of the locallymade projectiles. These were promptly commandeered by the artillery officers for the purposes of comparison. •Those who have an expert knowledge of the science of ballistics did not have a great deal to say as to the result of the test, preferring to wait until such time as a complete investigation can be made. > The maker of the new shell, however, had a good deal more to say. When all that was said had been boiled down, it appeared that the lest had been eminently successful, and that it had been proved that perfect shrapnel could be made in the. Dominion, with its present resources. Travelling Hard. It was noticeable that when the local shell arrived at the mark, it showed unmistakable marks of having travelled hard through the rilling of the gun. This should not be, as Ihcrc is fitted to every shell a copper "driving band," which is supposed to catch the rilling and give the shell its necessary spin—"centring," the artillerists call it. This was in all probability due to the fact that the shell was just a trifle too big in diameter —a defect which can easily be overcome in the lathe. The fact that these shells fitted the gun so closely would naturally delay their (light, and would make a difference of perhaps 100 yds in the "rang-