Queen Anne Commands: clothing the kettle drummer to the Ordnance 1706-1709

The account books of the Board of Ordnance in the National Archives list the provisions made to the Ordnance, including clothing, and offer a wonderful insight into uniform provided to the soldiers serving with this branch of the military at time of the War of the Spanish Succession. Through a series of accounts dating from 1706 to 1708 this paper demonstrates how one position under the control of the Board of Ordnance, that of the kettle drummer, was ostentatious in the extreme requiring ninety yards of gold lace. The article will relate his clothing to clothing provided to other soldiers, and show how his clothes reflected the high status of the kettle drummer

Form Number 13: Inventory and Inspection Report of Unserviceable Ordnance Stores

This form provides the instructions included in Circular Number 52, Disposition of Unserviceable and Surplus Ordnance Stores, November 12, 1863. Also included is Suggestions to Officers Having Unserviceable Ordnance Stores On Hand . 36 x 43 cm. 3 pages, Double sided, folded by width and quad-folded by length; Form Number 13 over inside pages 2 and 3. 1 of 2 copies in folder

Form Number 2-(b): Invoice of Stores

This form provides an extract of the instructions included in Circular Number 52, Disposition of Unserviceable and Surplus Ordnance Stores, November 12, 1863: Authority for Making Transfers of Property Must be Furnished. Also includes proper observations for officers invoicing ordnance stores. 28 X 22 cm. Single page, Double sided, tri-folded; Form Number 2-(b) on back. 1 of 5 copies in folder

The Risk of Unexploded Ordnance on Construction Sites in London

Greater London, among many large cities, was subject to bombing by the German military in both the World Wars and was the target of many air raids during the Second World War (WW2). This was particularly the case during the Blitz, September 1940 – May 1941, when over 28,000 high explosive bombs and parachute mines were dropped on London. Post war research conducted in 1949 estimated that approximately 12,750 t of bombs, including V1 and V2 rockets, were dropped on London. The night of 16th – 17th April 1941 was one of the worst bombing raids, when 446 t of bombs were dropped on London and over 58 t did not detonate. Unexploded bombs remain buried underground today, as they were unidentified at the time or abandoned owing to difficulties in recovering them. Uncharted bombs continue to pose a potentially significant hazard for developments around London. This paper considers the probability of discovering unexploded ordnance (UXO), particularly WW2 ordnance, during intrusive groundworks in London. The prevalence of unexploded ordnance has been assessed using data obtained from governmental organisations to estimate the likelihood of discovery in London

Laser diode initiated detonators for space applications

Ensign Bickford Aerospace Company (EBAC) has over ten years of experience in the design and development of laser ordnance systems. Recent efforts have focused on the development of laser diode ordnance systems for space applications. Because the laser initiated detonators contain only insensitive secondary explosives, a high degree of system safety is achieved. Typical performance characteristics of a laser diode initiated detonator are described in this paper, including all-fire level, function time, and output. A finite difference model used at EBAC to predict detonator performance, is described and calculated results are compared to experimental data. Finally, the use of statistically designed experiments to evaluate performance of laser initiated detonators is discussed

[Letter], 1865, Oct. 11, R.W. Guiness [to] Alan Cameron

A military correspondence from the Ordnance Office of the War Department responding to an inquiry by Cameron to correct a return dated April 2, 1865. Denies request. Dated October 11, 1865. Handwritten; Single page; 26 x 20 cm

Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche and the founding of the British Geological Survey

The founding of the Geological Survey by Henry De la Beche in 1835 is a key event in the history of British geology. Yet the Survey’s initiation actually began three years earlier when De la Beche secured financial assistance from the Board of Ordnance to map the geology of Devon at a scale of one inch to the mile. The British Geological Survey has thus been in existence for at least 175 years and can justly claim to be the world’s oldest continuously functioning geological survey organisation. There were early government-funded geological surveys also in France, the United States, Ireland and Scotland. De la Beche’s notable success both in launching and sustaining the Geological Survey demanded a good deal of diplomacy, determination and deviousness! Even so, the Survey was nearly brought to an untimely end in 1837 when De la Beche was publicly criticised for his interpretation, based on lithology and field relations, of the difficult Culm strata of north Devon. The resolution of the ‘Devonian Controversy’ led to a fundamental change in geological practice, in which the value of fossils as stratigraphic markers, founded on an acceptance of organic change over time, was established beyond question. Fortunately the Survey survived its early trauma and De la Beche went on to extend his influence with the expansion of the Museum of Economic Geology (also formed in 1835), and the establishment of the Mining Record Office and the School of Mines

Cannons and Columns: The Phoenix Iron Company and the Civil War

Anyone who has visited a Civil War battlefield is familiar with the sight of artillery pieces dotting the landscape, marking the places where artillery units were positioned on the field. Gettysburg National Military Park has one of the largest and most diverse collections of these now silent sentinels, ranging from bronze Napoleons to breech-loading Whitworth rifled guns. One of the most common types of cannon found at Gettysburg is the 3-inch Ordnance rifle. The Ordnance rifle is interesting for a number of reasons, not least of which are its connections to Phoenix Iron Company of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. [excerpt

'Hence the name': Berwickshire parishes along the Anglo-Scottish Border as described in the Ordnance Survey Name Books

No abstract available

About White Sands Missile Range

Information on the White Sands Missile Range is given in viewgraph form. Navy programs, test sites, rocket programs, research rockets' booster capacity, current boost capabilities, ordnance and payload assembly areas, commercial space launch history and agreements, and lead times are among the topics covered