Long Tom

Long Tom was the name given to the 155 mm French Fortress gun purchased from Schneider et Cie Creusot. They were 7.5 metres in length, weighed seven tons each, required sixteen oxen to pull them and fired a ninety six pound shell up to ten thousand metres. Using Black powder it was easy to see when it fired and the time was counted, from 20 to 30 seconds until its impact.

The Long Tom on Umbulwane was hidden behind a large embankment and mounted on rails as it could be seen quite clearly by the naked eye when it was rolled forward to discharge its shell. The gun was incapable of firing shrapnel shells over long distances because the fuses could only be set for four to 5000 metres so they fired percussion shells that only exploded on impact with hard objects. Consequently, when landing in soft soil or the river they more often than not failed to explode. The Boer had four Long Toms, three at Ladysmith and all had nicknames. The first to arrive was the original Long Tom, Silent Susan, on Pepworth Hill, Puffing Billy on Umbulwane Hill to the East of Ladysmith and the third, Fiddling Jimmy was on Middle Hill.

The Long Tom on Middle Hill, Fiddling Jimmy (also known as “The Medler”), was moved to Doornkop to defend Vaal Krantz. After Vaal Krantz this Long Tom was moved to Bergendal in the Eastern Transvaal then on to Long Tom Pass.

The manufacturers of the Long Tom, Creusot, were given full authority over the artillery and sent out Leon Grunberg and Captain Sam Leon to train the Boers on the use of them.

 

 Repaired Long Tom frm Gun Hill

NICKNAMES

“Fiddling Jimmy“ was situated on Middle Hill. It was later moved to Telegraph Hill and then Vaalkranz. This Long Tom was damaged by either Caster or Polux on 27th November 1899.

“Faith”, “Hope” and “Charity“ were Boer black powder guns situated on Telegraph Hill. 

“Puffing Billy” was a Long Tom situated on Umbulwane. With great presence of mind Louis Botha moved this gun just before General Buller arrived with the relief force. Like the other Long Toms, it used a black powder, giving off white smoke when fired which usually gave the residents plenty of time to take cover.

“Silent Susan” was a 4.7 inch howitzer, so called because it was inaudible until the shell had reached its objective. “Susan” arrived on Pepworth Hill on the 29th October 1899 and remained there until 24th November when she was removed to Gun Hill. It was this gun which was blown up during the Gun Hill sortie on 8th December 1899. The badly damaged gun was taken away to the Railway workshops in Pretoria where it was repaired by having the barrel shortened. Thereafter it became known as “The Jew”. “Silent Susan” fell under the command of Major J.F. Wolmarens of the Staatsartillerie.

“Slim Piet“, a 40 pound Howitzer named after General Piet Joubert and was sited on Umbulwane.

Other names were Faith, Hope, Charity, Whistling Willie, Weeping Willie, Blustering Billie, Sausage Machine, Diarrhoea Dick, Frenchie, Spitfire Jack and Sauntering Sally.

LEON GRUNBERG and SAM LEON

Leon Grunberg was a French engineer, sent out in 1895 by the French firm of Schneider et Cie of Le Creusot, with fellow engineer Captain Sam Leon, to introduce improved ordnance to the Staatsartillerie of the Transvaal. With his companion, Grunberg established an engineering factory in Pretoria which, with government help, took over the British company of Thomas Begbie greatly increasing the efficiency. Upon the outbreak of the War, the two men supervised the manufacture of munitions in Begbie’s Foundry and, in the Railway Workshops, Pretoria, repaired the damaged Long Tom from Gun Hill, Ladysmith.