6pdr cartridge case markings

[kylet183]

Hi all,

So i recently received this 1901 dated British 6pdr cartridge case.

This is probably a stretch, but from what i know about British tanks in the first world war, some cases were apparently marked "T" for tank or "L" for land. This case has a "
T" next to the "x37" marking (which i am also unsure of).
I know the navy used an "N" but as this is pre war, the 6pdrs would have all been navy so i guess there would be no need for an "N" stamp?

The bottom of the case has also been blackened which was done to most of the shells destined for use in the 8cwt 6 pound gun in the Mk4 and 5 tanks. However i am not sure how high the blackening should be?

Ultimately, even though this case is 1901 dated, could it have been re used all the way up into 1917 or 18?

Lastly, did anyone know what the little X icon above the III means?

Any help with this would be very much appreciated!
Cheers,
Kyle.

 

[ron3350]

Kyle. Welcome fellow Aussie. I think you are too early for a Tank round and this is a Navy 6Pr Hotchkiss case. I have the T on dates from 1897 to 1917 but unsure of meaning. I show my Tank round and you will see the blackened part is almost half the case length plus the base is blackened too. Cheers. Ron.

 

[kylet183]

Hi Ron, I would sell my soul plus some for that round... My maternal great grandfather served in the Tank Corps in 1918 and i have been hunting for a long time for something like that to display with his medals...

I also have just a casing from a 1918 dated round with almost identical markings with obvious differences to the lot number etc. Ive read that later war cases would generally be for tanks, does this sound true to you?

Cheers!
Kyle.

 

[Tony Williams]

The bottom of the case has also been blackened which was done to most of the shells destined for use in the 8cwt 6 pound gun in the Mk4 and 5 tanks.

Hi Kyle. Technically, I believe that the shortened 6pdr in the Mks IV and V (L/23 instead of L/40) was known as the 6 pdr 6 cwt, as it was much lighter than the 6 pdr 8 cwt naval gun used in the Mk I tank. The blackening of the case indicated a downloaded cartridge to suit the shorter barrel. If a full-power cartridge was fired from that gun, the muzzle flash and blast would have been horrendous...

 

[kylet183]

Hi Tony, you are correct! that was my bad, I typed the original post in a rush...

 

[peregrinvs]

View attachment 145194View attachment 145193Kyle. Welcome fellow Aussie. I think you are too early for a Tank round and this is a Navy 6Pr Hotchkiss case. I have the T on dates from 1897 to 1917 but unsure of meaning. I show my Tank round and you will see the blackened part is almost half the case length plus the base is blackened too. Cheers. Ron.

Great pictures. Nice to see a definite 6PR 6CWT tank gun case.

I thought the headstamps looked familiar and I've just discovered my 1918 Kynoch case case is only 7 lot numbers away. Good to know there's a reasonable possibility it was intended for tank use.

 

[ron3350]

This is the only Tank round I have found .It has the base fuze too and red lettering from 3 o'clock in the photo but not too clear. I guess they are quite scarce.

 

[ron3350]

I also have Lot 265 with similar headstamp but this does not mean that it is a reduced load for the tank gun since it is not blackened half case. I thought that the reduced load was because the breech part of the gun was wire bound or built up. I forget the details but it may also have been the blast as Tony Williams said.

 

[Quatermass]

Marks of case that could be used with the 6 PR 6 CWT Mks I & II:
III, III*, IV, IV* & V
Marks of Steel shell:
III, IV, & V

 

[ozziammo]

Don't despair Kylet183, there is more than 1 in Australia! You never know where you will find them.
The round circle is remnants from a price sticker- the glue, which I will eventually remove (very carefully)!
Enjoy the pics.
Regards Ozzi.