Original British Boer War Inert BL 15-Pounder Gun Shrapnel Projectile “Fired At Stormberg” – As Featured In Book “Trench Art, An Illustrated History” Page 20 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a wonderful example of an Inert BATF compliant Boer War era British 15 Pounder artillery shell. The shell has an applied brass plaque that states the shell was fired at Stormberg and does not appear to have detonated. The Battle of Stormberg was the first British defeat of Black Week, in which three successive British forces were defeated by Boer irregulars in the Second Boer War.

Unloaded or dummy grenades, artillery shell casings, and similar devices, which are cut or drilled in an BATF-approved manner so that they cannot be used as ammunition components for destructive devices, are not considered NFA weapons. This example is in total compliance and is NOT AVAILABLE FOR EXPORT.

Reference books are an essential part of any collector’s knowledge and growth in their particular field of interest. The 2004 book “Trench Art, An Illustrated History” by Jane Kimball is a comprehensive study of Trench Art and does a wonderful job in presenting the historical context of trench art throughout history. The book covers about 400 pages and includes hundreds of illustrations as well as mountains of primary source material and original photographs that document the evolution, styles and construction of the trench art genre. This is found on page 20.

The Ordnance BL 15-pounder, otherwise known as the 15-pounder 7 cwt, was the British Army’s field gun in the Second Boer War and some remained in limited use in minor theatres of World War I. It fired a shell of 3-inch (76 mm) diameter with a maximum weight of 15 pounds (6.8 kg), hence its name which differentiated it from its predecessor ’12-pounder’ 3-inch (76 mm) gun which fired shells weighing only 12.5 pounds (5.7 kg).

The round itself is dated 1899 and is still in solid condition without any extensive damage aside from the expected. There is minor surface rust and oxidation as well as some nicks and dents, but nothing that subtracts from the beauty of it.

Comes ready for further research and display.