Tragedy in the 4th Division Heavy and Medium Trench Mortar Batteries Stephen Brooks, Barooga. ortars are simple but terrifyingly effective weapons, almost as old as gunpowder itself. They are relatively short-barrelled, most often smooth-bore weapons, that fire projectiles at a high angle at M relatively modest velocities. This makes for modest pressures and therefore relatively simple manufacture. The bombs are generally, but not always, fin stabilised, with a point detonating fuse. Heavy Medium Trench Mortar Batteries were manned by artillerymen. In the AIF during 1916 one heavy trench mortar battery was formed in each division, numbered VnA, where ‘V’ was the letter V and not the number 5, and ‘n’ was the division number. The three Medium Trench Mortar Batteries for each division were numbered XnA, YnA and ZnA. Thus the 4th Division Trench Mortar Batteries were named: ñ V4A Heavy Trench Mortar Battery ñ X4A Medium Trench Mortar Battery ñ Y4A Medium Trench Mortar Battery ñ Z4A Medium Trench Mortar Battery. Heavy Trench Mortar Batteries were each equipped with four 9.45 inch (240 mm) mortars. The medium mortars the Australians used were the 2-inch Medium Trench Mortar [right, armourersbench.com], which fired an over-bore bomb. ‘Over bore’ means the bomb was greater in diameter than the barrel. It was fitted into the barrel by means of a cylindrical spigot or rod. The bomb was described as a ‘toffee apple’ or ‘plum pudding’ bomb, weighing 23 kg. The medium mortar was a relatively short-barrelled weapon and had a heavy elevation and traversing gear mounted directly to the base plate. They were notoriously prone to ‘drop-shorts’ (which coincidentally is a derogatory term for gunners). The mortar’s characteristic high-angle trajectory suited it to trench warfare. Its capacity to lob bombs right into trenches soon ensured that demand for them grew. However, they suffered one major drawback: their relatively short range meant they were necessarily located close to the front lines, which did not enamour them to the infantry (because they attracted enemy artillery fire) and made them vulnerable to a direct infantry assault. Trench mortar crews had two polite nicknames which have been recorded: ‘The shoot and scoot mob’ and ‘the duckboard harriers’, due to their tendency to draw retaliatory fire. By all accounts they were unpopular with the infantry, who had to stay and wear ‘the hate’ after the mortar crew had scarpered. War establishments of Trench Mortar Batteries: September 1916 Light Medium Heavy Captain 1 0 1 Subalterns 3 2 2 Fitter 0 0 1 Sergeants 2 1 3 Corporals 8 4 8 Gunners 32 16 47 Orderlies 0 0 2 Clerk 0 0 1 Cook 0 0 1 Batmen 4 2 3 Total 50 25 69 Heavy: One battery per division, 69 men, 4 x 240 mm mortars firing 152 lb bombs. Medium: Three batteries per division, 25 men in each, 4 x 2-inch Howitzer mortars. Light: Six batteries per division, 51 men in each, 8 x 6-inch Stokes mortars. DIGGER 69 Issue 70 Left: A British 2-inch trench mortar being loaded. Above right: A 2-inch Medium Trench Mortar bomb, also known as the 2-inch Howitzer, and nicknamed the ‘Toffee Apple’ or ‘Plum Pudding’ mortar, held at the Imperial War Museum in London, without its spigot. The designation ‘2 inch’ refers to the mortar barrel, into which only the 22-inch bomb shaft (spigot), but not the bomb itself, was inserted; the bomb itself was actually 9 inches (230 mm) in diameter and weighed 42 lb (19 kg). 4th Division Heavy and Medium Trench Mortar Battery Field Artillery: Disaster at Bullecourt To assist the British 62nd Division at Second Bullecourt [May 1917] the Medium Trench Mortars of the 4th Australian Division were to be emplaced facing that village to support the flank of the British attack. The crews with their mortars and ammunition were waiting on the railway embankment on that flank when, at 4.30 am on 3 May, a German shell exploded their ammunition, destroying all the mortars and ammunition, killing 27 men and wounding many others. According to the unit war diarist of the 4th Division Trench Mortar Officer, the personnel of the Heavy V4A battery also proceeded to the embankment for the purpose of carrying ammunition for the Medium Batteries. In all he gave casualties as: Killed: 9 other ranks Missing: 16 other ranks Wounded: 14 other ranks Shell Shock: 8 other ranks. Thus, a total of 47 casualties from one enemy shell, which the officer stated was about 50% of the men who went into action. Just another one of those little tragedies that played out each day on the Western Front. The OC of each Medium Trench Battery gave a report, all of which basically stated that the units marched out of camp at 9 pm on 2 May, 1917, and took a cross-country route, arriving at Ecoust at about 11 pm. Then, with each man carrying a bomb or component parts, the men moved into positions in groups of 10, each group about 50 yards apart, until they were all in position, unobserved, by about 1 am. Between 1 am and 2 am the ammunition was made ready (less detonators, according to the report). All battery stores were collected and placed in three separate dumps (X,Y and Z). The ammunition was then divided equally between batteries and placed with the respective battery stores, which were about eight yards apart. This work was carried out by some of the men whilst the remainder dug themselves in by making the existing shelters in the railway embankment larger and deeper. At about 2 am the men settled down to rest. DIGGER 70 Issue 70 At 3.30 am the enemy opened with a moderate bombardment on the railway embankment and the road in the rear. This continued until 3.45 am when the Allied artillery commenced fire. At this stage the Germans opened what they called an ‘annihilation bombardment’ upon the railway embankment, until at 4.30 am the whole lot of the Trench Mortar ammunition was hit and blown up. All the guns and equipment were destroyed and the casualties were very heavy and severe. As the enemy bombardment shifted onto Bullecourt at about 6 am, the men were gradually able to retire in small groups, carrying their wounded. On the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour there are 25 men from the 4th Trench Mortars recorded as having been killed in action on 3 May, 1917. None have a known grave and are recorded on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux. Two others died of wounds: one the next day, another on 6 May. Both of these men are buried in a cemetery. The total deaths were 27. On the AWM honour roll the men are recorded as being from the following units: ñ 17 from the 4th Division Heavy and Medium Trench Mortar Battery Field Artillery ñ 6 from the 4th Australian Medium Trench Mortar Battery ñ 2 from the 4th Australian Division Trench Mortars ñ 1 from the 4th Division Heavy and Medium Trench Mortar Battery Field Artillery ñ 1 from the 4th Division Field Artillery. Nearly all those killed have Red Cross Wounded and Missing reports given by survivors. They are shocking and one can understand the awful effect upon the mind such an event would have had. Little wonder returned men did not want to talk about the war. The explosion must have been huge and the results instant and horrendous. The Trench Mortar officer reported eight cases of shell shock. Following are some excerpts from the Red Cross files: Meldrum WC 5476, 4th Div, Aust HTM Battery. Missing 3.5.17. We were in action near Bullecourt on May 3rd in the open near a Railway Embankment. Close by was a large dump of bombs into the middle of which the Germans dropped a shell. The dump went up, and all the above men, with several British Tommies, went up with it too. I knew all of our men who were killed, but it was impossible to identify remains after the explosion. I was within a yard or two of Dwyer when the dump went up, and escaped myself, though I was buried for a time. I am positive that every one of the above men were killed by the explosion. Informant: Gunner 2709 Frederick Newlands Boon, 4th Div. TMB. I was close by when the dump of bombs went up, and corroborate the statement made by Gnr Boon that all the men shown as missing on the 3rd May were killed by the explosion. They were all close to the dump at the time and were never seen again after the shell pitched into it and set the bombs off. It was impossible to identify the remains afterwards. Informant: Gnr 2020 Norman Stephens MM, 4th Div. TMB. On the morning of May 3rd 1917 I was in action with 3481 Pte Reid J in front of Bullecourt. An explosion of Trench Mortar Bombs (300) took place, from then nothing was seen of Reid but all around the crater were pieces of human flesh. I believe he was killed. Signed JR Forrest. (2089 James Ramsay Forrest MM and Bar, 10th LHR/4th Div Arty, later Lieutenant, was awarded the Military Medal for his actions that day, for: Conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty on the morning of the 3rd May 1917 during the attack on BULLECOURT. He showed an absolute disregard of danger and set a splendid example in attending to the wounded.