Tunneler's cut down rifle

[Peter Laidler]

Just one minor correction Gil and those others with a wild imagination and who still inhabit and orbit another planet. There is no expert report. If this is confirmed, it will be the report of an imbecile. Nobody in their right sound or sane mind would ever shoot one of these make believe 'things' in an enclosed tunnel. Not twice! Or even once. And any dopey Officer of whatever rank who sanctioned such a sheer folly/stupidity would previously have lost his marbles and believe me, the chaps, no matter how servile, would tell him.

Get real chaps!

[Roger Payne]

Major (later Brigadier General) Stokes didn't sanction it & I don't think anyone has ever alleged that he did - he simply was moved to sketch & refer to an example of one that he'd seen in the hands of Canadian tunnelling company listeners. His sketch & comments (made at the time) are in the War Diary that is now in the National Archives. I am sure that if the RE's had ever looked to develop any sort of official pattern of shortened rifle they'd have come up with something rather more workmanlike than the one with just a stub of a barrel that he sketched, but then again it was probably concocted off their own bats by tunneller OR's who were digging sewers or mining coal only a few weeks before, & who were hardly ballisticians.

[Peter Laidler]

Don't take this all tooooo seriously Roger....... As you say, they might not have been ballisticians of course and they might have been Geordies - but they weren't stupid!

I know I sit on the fence regarding this, mince my words a bit and remain non commital in my wavering belief, but this thing could take wings and become fact if we weren't robust. Especially if the RE Major 'seal of approval' takes off.

[Roger Payne]

No offence taken at all Peter. Your replies are always amusing.

[Aussie48]

You make me laugh as well Peter with your comments, very valid though who in their right mind would be stupid enough to fire that abomination in a tunnel, make that a very small tunnel

Oldest Regiment I feel a **** fight about to start

[Gil Boyd]

Aussie,
Don't tell me you lot had a Willabong Mounted Troop before Beer Hunters London Regiment, commanded by Ned Kelly
otherwise I am making a tunnel gun and selling it on Ebay as a piece of history, with a free spade.
Afterall Buy one get one free cobbers