West Spring Gun

It consisted of a metal frame supporting a throwing arm powered by 24 metal springs.{{cite book|title=War on the Western Front: In the Trenches of World War I|page=201|author=Gary Sheffield|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2007|isbn=978-1846032103}} It was invented by Captain Allen West in 1915 and manufactured by the Reason Manufacturing Company of Brighton, which was granted a patent for the device on 19 October of that year.{{cite book|title=Weapons of the Trench War: 1914-1918|page=65|author=Anthony Saunders|publisher=Sutton|year=1999|isbn=978-0750918183}} Although called a catapult, it was a hybrid of a ballista and a trebuchet. It required a crew of five - three to compress the springs, one to load the bomb, and one to fire as soon as the fuse was lit or the grenade pin was pulled.{{cite book|title=From Montreal to Vimy Ridge and beyond: the correspondence of Lieut. Clifford Almon Wells, B.A., of the 8th battalion, Canadians, B.e.f., November, 1915-April, 1917|page=87|author=Clifford Almon Wells|publisher=George H. Doran company|year=1917}}

In tests, it could throw Mills bomb about {{convert|240|yd|m|abbr=on}} or a {{convert|7|lb|kg|abbr=on}} projectile about {{convert|80|yd|m|abbr=on}} with a flight time of 6 or 7 seconds.{{cite journal|journal=The Royal Engineers Journal|year=1925|volume=39|page=79}} In the field it generally threw a Jam Tin Grenade, No. 15 Ball grenade, No. 21 "Spherical" grenade or No. 28 chemical grenade, equipped with a slightly longer fuse (typically 9 seconds) to ensure to reach the enemy trench before exploding. It was used in combat by, amongst others, the 50th (Northumbrian) Division and the 1st Canadian Division in the Second Battle of Ypres and by Australian forces in the Gallipoli Campaign.{{cite book|title=We lead, others follow: First Canadian Division, 1914-1918|page=120|author=Kenneth Radley|publisher=Vanwell|year=2006|isbn=978-1551251004}} It was generally considered to be large and cumbersome and "generally more unwieldy" than the Leach Trench Catapult. Many operators, including Captain West himself, lost fingers in the mechanism. The throw could also be unpredictable, with the bomb sometimes landing near the thrower.{{cite web|url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30022876|title=Grenade, West Spring Gun, No 21 R Type|publisher=Imperial War Museum}}

Production of this and other trench catapults was officially halted in 1916, being replaced by the 2 inch Medium Trench Mortar and Stokes mortar.{{cite book|title=The Encyclopædia Britannica: Volume 22; page 470 volume 30.4 "Bombthrowers" 1922 Edition, Volume 1|page=470|author=Hugh Chisholm|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Company Limited|year=1922}} This article is unpublished

File:Grenade for West Spring Gun IWM MUN 1497.jpg|No 21 R grenade

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30022876 No 21 R Type grenade for the West Spring Gun] at the Imperial War Museum.
• [http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RELAWM05152/ West Spring Gun] (missing its launch arm) at the Australian War Memorial.

{{WWI British Empire small arms|state=collapsed}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

Category:Projectile weapons

Category:World War I British infantry weapons

Category:Grenade launchers of the United Kingdom

Category:Chemical weapon delivery systems