Long Cecil
Encyclopedia
Long Cecil was a unique one-off gun, designed by George Labram
, a United States citizen, and built in the workshops of the De Beers
mining company in Kimberley
for use by the British
during the Siege of Kimberley
in the Second Boer War
.
In 1902, during Cecil Rhodes' funeral procession in Cape Town
, his coffin was carried on top of the Long Cecil carriage. Today the gun is located on the stylobate
(facing the Free State
) of the Honoured Dead Memorial
in Kimberley
.
At some time before 1915 Pratt & Whitney
built a model of this gun as a gift to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
.
at their disposal and therefore lacked a weapon that could effectively match those fielded by the surrounding Boers.
Labram and Edward Goffe, Chief Draughtsman at the mine, reviewed the limited number of textbooks and publications on gunmaking that were available in Kimberley. From this and calculations on what it would require to build a gun capable of firing a shell over 7600 metres (24,934.4 ft), they decided that it was feasible to build the gun with the materials at hand.
Construction of the gun began on 26 December 1899 with rough-turning of the barrel, but some of the tools required for rifling
the barrel were not available and first had to be manufactured on site.
The barrel was constructed from a 10 feet (3 m), 10.5 inches (266.7 mm) billet of mild steel. The steel billet was originally ordered as a shaft for one of the De Beers workshop machines.
, north of the city. Contemporary accounts state that the Boers were initially surprised by range of the new gun, which was able to land projectiles very accurately on their previously safe position.
The gun fired a total of 255 shells onto Boer positions from the time of its manufacture until the end of the siege about a month later. The gun did not change the balance of power for long, because the Boers brought a larger 100-pound "Long Tom"
gun to bear within two weeks of Long Cecil's deployment. The shelling of the besieged residents thereby escalated and soon became more lethal than before. The shelling ended only with arrival of Major-General French's
8000-strong cavalry on 15 February 1900.
George Labram
George Labram was an American engineer employed as Chief Mechanical Engineer at the De Beers diamond mines in Kimberley during the Siege of Kimberley.-Early career:...
, a United States citizen, and built in the workshops of the De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
mining company in Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
for use by the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
during the Siege of Kimberley
Siege of Kimberley
The Siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony , when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try to capture the British enclave when war broke out between the British and the two...
in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
In 1902, during Cecil Rhodes' funeral procession in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, his coffin was carried on top of the Long Cecil carriage. Today the gun is located on the stylobate
Stylobate
In classical Greek architecture, a stylobate is the top step of the crepidoma, the stepped platform on which colonnades of temple columns are placed...
(facing the Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
) of the Honoured Dead Memorial
Honoured Dead Memorial
The Honoured Dead Memorial is a provincial heritage site in Kimberley in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated at the meeting point of five roads, and commemorates those who died defending the city during the Siege of Kimberley in the Anglo-Boer War.In 1986, it was described in...
in Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
.
At some time before 1915 Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation . Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA...
built a model of this gun as a gift to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
.
Construction
The defenders at Kimberley had only the relatively small RML 2.5 inch Mountain GunRML 2.5 inch Mountain Gun
The Ordnance RML 2.5 inch mountain gun was a British rifled muzzle-loading mountain gun of the late 19th century designed to be broken down into four loads for carrying by man or mule. It was primarily used by the Indian Army.-History:...
at their disposal and therefore lacked a weapon that could effectively match those fielded by the surrounding Boers.
Labram and Edward Goffe, Chief Draughtsman at the mine, reviewed the limited number of textbooks and publications on gunmaking that were available in Kimberley. From this and calculations on what it would require to build a gun capable of firing a shell over 7600 metres (24,934.4 ft), they decided that it was feasible to build the gun with the materials at hand.
Construction of the gun began on 26 December 1899 with rough-turning of the barrel, but some of the tools required for rifling
Rifling
Rifling is the process of making helical grooves in the barrel of a gun or firearm, which imparts a spin to a projectile around its long axis...
the barrel were not available and first had to be manufactured on site.
The barrel was constructed from a 10 feet (3 m), 10.5 inches (266.7 mm) billet of mild steel. The steel billet was originally ordered as a shaft for one of the De Beers workshop machines.
Impact on the siege
As with all the components, custom ammunition for the gun had to be manufactured in the De Beers workshops. The first proving shot was fired a little over three weeks later on 19 January 1900 at a Boer encampment near Kamfers DamKamfers Dam
Kamfers Dam is a privately owned permanent water body of 400 ha, situated to the immediate north of Kimberley, South Africa. The wetland was originally an ephemeral pan, often dry and dependent on rain water...
, north of the city. Contemporary accounts state that the Boers were initially surprised by range of the new gun, which was able to land projectiles very accurately on their previously safe position.
The gun fired a total of 255 shells onto Boer positions from the time of its manufacture until the end of the siege about a month later. The gun did not change the balance of power for long, because the Boers brought a larger 100-pound "Long Tom"
155 mm Creusot Long Tom
The 155 mm Creusot Long Tom was a French field gun manufactured by Schneider et Cie in Le Creusot, France and used by the Boers in the Second Boer War.-Second Boer War:...
gun to bear within two weeks of Long Cecil's deployment. The shelling of the besieged residents thereby escalated and soon became more lethal than before. The shelling ended only with arrival of Major-General French's
John French, 1st Earl of Ypres
Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, ADC, PC , known as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922, was a British and Anglo-Irish officer...
8000-strong cavalry on 15 February 1900.