Friends of Limpsfield Common Limpsfield Common Air Raid Shelters

Linking the past with the future The Spigot Mortar

The Spigot Mortar or “Blacker Bombard” was invented by Lieutenant-Colonel Blacker with the objective of providing a cheap and easily produced weapon to replace the vast amount lost at Dunkirk.

The gun was extremely heavy, weighing in at about 350lbs. It fired a 20lb high explosive anti tank mortar bomb propelled by black powder. It had an effective range of 100 yards. It was also capable of firing a 14lb anti personnel bomb approximately 500 yards, although the gun was found to be most effective at shorter range.

Unfortunately the Spigot Mortar was almost as hazardous for the operator as it was for the target. Having fired at the target, the mortar would explode on impact. However, its stabilising fins had a tendency to fly back towards the operator. Perhaps this is one of the reasons the regular army rejected the gun. It was in service with the Home Guard and airfield protection units from 1941 to 1944.

The Spigot Mortar was originally designed to be mobile, being mounted on a large four legged frame. This made it extremely heavy and required a six man crew to move it. The solution was to construct permanent mounting points and just move the gun alone.

These mounting points consisted of a column of concrete protruding from a four foot deep pit. On top of the concrete column was a stainless steel pin onto which the gun fitted. The pit offered some protection to those operating the gun. Next to the pit there is a small concrete recess where ammunition could be stored.

One of the permanent mounts can be found close to the air raid shelters. The stainless steel pin is still in excellent condition with the crown and crowfoot stamp clearly visible. This stamp marked the weapon as part of the ordnance, which meant that it was a military-owned piece of equipment.

Work on clearing the Spigot Mortar base by the Limpsfield Common Volunteer Taskforce