Elephant Battery on NW Frontier

[alan_lockhart]

For my NW Frontier wargame army, I want to establish an elephant battery.

However, it is not the 40lb heavy artillery drawn by elephants but a field gun battery carried on the elephants themselves for use in mountainous terrain.

The only photo I can find is on page 18

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6QXY ... &q&f=false

Can anyone shed any light on how the gun is broken down into loads, as I cannot really make it out from the photo?

Might there be 3 loads: wheels, carriage and barrel each on an elephant or perhaps only 2: wheels and carriage on one elephant and barrel on the other?

Alan

[Maureene]

Hi Alan

The FIBIS Fibiwiki has a page “Artillery elephants”. Perhaps some of the images may be relevant
http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=A ... _elephants

Cheers
Maureen

[alan_lockhart]

Maureen,

thanks for the link.

I have has some useful replies on TMP with a very useful link:

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=267290

Best regards,

Alan

[alan_lockhart]

Another variation:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13305961@N ... otostream/

[tabony]

I found these interesting pictures in The Graphic and the ILN.
Martin.

[tabony]

A few more.
Martin

[Frogsmile]

Extraordinary and interesting images Martin, thank you for posting them.

They make our relatively benign efforts at loading trains with AFV 432, Warriors and Challenger 2 seem paltry by comparison, don't you think?

[tabony]

I was realy surprised at how obedient the elephants are,especially compared to a horse. Standing over the food and waiting for the word! All of our horse are used to "Troop, troop 'shun" "Troop feed away" but you couldn't leave the food in front of them!

Martin

[Maureene]

Great images Martin. Thank you for posting them.

Regarding the transportation of elephants by rail , there is an 1879 article, now available online
"Report on the Transportation of Elephants by Railway"
http://www.archive.org/stream/professio ... 9/mode/1up

from "Notes on Elephants and their Transport by Railway" by Capt H Wilberforce Clarke RE , page 289 Professional Papers on Indian Engineering Second Series Volume 8 1879

This is one of the links from the FIBIS Fibiwiki page Artillery Elephants, where there are other links which talk about the intelligence of elephants.
http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=A ... _elephants

Cheers
Maureen

[tabony]

Thanks for the links Maureene, very interesting.
Martin

[Frogsmile]

Your links are always a joy to read Maureene, thank you.

[Maureene]

For more about elephants, members of the Forum may be interested in reading a classic short story by Rudyard Kipling
Toomai of the Elephants, page 217 from The Jungle Book which is available to read online (Archive.org)
http://archive.org/stream/junglebookkipl#page/216/mode

Cheers
Maureen

[fantomark]

Hi, All !

What a fantastic thread!

Elephants (with camels and tapirs) are my favourite animals, and I have a very strong interest in the Elephant as a best of burden and war throughout history.

I will post here some images I have of elephants in "War and Peace" during the Brisish Colonial period for all member to share.

I also hope that anyone having aother images will do the same: i am an avid collector of any Elephants Images:



Let's start with this nice pics of an "Elephant Taxi" In India , Probably at the turn of the century.

[fantomark]

A different taxi, but same principle!

Just a slightly later date, judging by the ladies' dress.



Marco

[fantomark]

And here are more images of the handsome pachiderms, providing military transport .

Elephant Batteries on the NW Frontier in the 1890s.

Ciao!

Marco