September 2010 - RAF Regiment Association Official Website

4
which of course it did not. We met as arranged
but because of the torrential rain decided that it
was too bad to continue with our proposed visit.
Anyway, in spite of the appalling weather
on the Saturday, my wife Eileen and I decided to
go to Belton Park and in spite of the weather, we
found it to be extremely interesting with various
military re-enactments taking place and chatting
with people in between the heavy showers.
It was quite surprising how many people
attended, so much so that the car park was
absolutely crammed but everyone was rewarded
for their efforts in attending by the displays.
Two RAF Regiment recruitment trailers
were there as well as 2503 RAuxAF Squadron
from Lincoln as well as various military vehicles,
both those in current use and previously used
vehicles that also took part in the displays. There
was also a climbing wall which the youngsters
enjoyed immensely.
The commitment and professionalism of
everyone who is involved in the current situation
is quite firm and confirms their absolute belief in
the onerous tasks and risks they undertake both at
home and abroad.
Amongst several topics raised was about
the Home guard Re-enactment where they had
what appeared to be a rather ancient mortar with a
vertical magazine on one side capable of holding
four – thee inch mortar shells in cylindrical pipes,
apparently called a Smith Gun. We were told that
there were only four still in existence and that
they had been issued to the Home Guard.
When we returned home I looked through
my various reference books on different weapons
without success. I then searched my archives and
found an article that had been published in the
RAF Regiment Association “Rocks” Bulletin No
1 dated 1 st July 1990. It was entitled the:
“Smith Gun and Northover Projector”
Early in World War Two when, just after
Dunkirk, things looked very black indeed, those
who had managed to get out of Dunkirk were
billeted all over the country. Weapons were in
short supply and until better, more efficient ones
could be produced, a series of odd, cheap and
mainly inefficient weapons appeared on the scene.
The Smith Gun was amongst the first. It
consisted of two very large wheels, about four feet
in diameter with two inch rubber tyres. Its barrel
was smooth bored and about four feet in length.
The projectiles ranged from converted three inch
mortar cases to 3 inch by 7 inch cast iron cases
containing smoke ingredients and HE.
The idea was that the weapon could be
towed behind a small car or other vehicle to the
spot where it was required - a towing eye was
fitted to the end of the barrel for this purpose - and
then the weapon was turned onto one wheel on its
side. The other wheel was conical and served as
overhead protection.
As everyone knows a smooth bored barrel
without rifling offers no spin and therefore no
accuracy. The result being an indecisive
trajectory and a total absence of accuracy, not
only that, it was very unstable when being towed
and frequently the towing eye snapped or the gun
took over and caused the towing vehicle to
somersault. It wasn’t a weapon to either have
faith in or to like and after a short while it was
phased out and handed over to the Home Guard.
The second weapon, also to go to the
home Guard, was the Northover Projector. This
consisted of a piece of piping roughly four feet
long and with a 2 ½ inch bore. It was mounted on
four legs and the sighting was rudimentary and of
the type later to be found on the “Energa”.
The sight slipped up and had sighting
holes along its length which was roughly 11
inches. Some models had a “Heath Robinson” No
8 battery firing pin, others were purely spring
loaded and again, it was smooth bored and of
course highly inaccurate. Its legs were also badly
finished and may were the injuries sustained from
its angular construction.
The main thing that both weapons had in
common was that they offered a tangible means of
defending a position and gave a feeling of being
armed. Their faults were not readily apparent
owing to the lack of proper ammunition and
above all, they looked like guns, which I suppose
was psychologically the intention.
********************
Hughie ended this article with “we
sincerely hoped that the weather would be better
on the following day as we had a prior
appointment at the National Memorial Arboretum,
so we left Grantham early on the Sunday morning.
OUR VISIT TO THE NMA
15 th August 2010
By Hughie Cooper
Dave Harris and I had completed our
Basic Training together and so we arranged to