18-pounders in action, 1919

Photograph, 3rd Afghan War, 1919.

With a crew of ten men, this gun could fire 18-pound shrapnel, high explosive or smoke shells up to six kilometres (over 6,500 yards). With an experienced crew and in good conditions, the 18-pounder could fire at a remarkable 30 rounds a minute. The use of artillery, initially in short-supply at the start of the campaign, was, alongside British airpower, a crucial factor in the outcome of both the 3rd Afghan War (1919) and the subsequent revolt in Waziristan (1919-1920).

From an album of 144 photographs, 1919-1930, compiled by Lieutenant-Colonel V C A Munckton.