Questions regarding wire wrapped line throwing rifles

[breakeyp]

Skennerton, et al, have well documented Lee Enfields, wire wrapped, and marked for use as Naval line throwers. It is my understanding that line throwers were also used by Engineering units, bridge layers and communication units to deliver telephone lines from trench to trench. Can anyone expand on this?

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[Peter Laidler]

The Engineers most certainly had line throwing capability on their AVRE tanks, even for firing demo charges. I wouldn't think that they'd use them to deliver tele cables per-se between trenches because for the line throwers to work, you have to use a new line each time that feeds from the centre of the bobbin. Otherwise a roll that's been re-wound by man WILL jamb up, believe me! I have no doubt that the Signals (the bleeps) and the Engineers would use rifle fired lines

Additionally of course, it's only a thin sisal (now nylon) line, about the dia of a pullthrough that it initally thrown and a large dia line is pulled over later. We had a sealed roll of man-capable line at Warminster used by the Commando's for rock/cliff scaling, thrown by a special 2" mortar bomb grappling hook affair. We used to rebuild the LT rifles from the small RASC and RN ships. What a mess they were.........

[browningautorifle]

What a mess they were

All salt eaten and neglected and such...

[Peter Laidler]

But the line throwers we had from the Army/Navy ships weren't wire wrapped as I recall.....