Mounting and Dismounting a 3-ton Gun

Royal Marines demonstrate the fearsome artillery skills they would take to the Boer War - all without firing a shot

It takes at least 15 Royal Marines just to lift this gun into position with levers and chocks, although dismounting is simpler - just tilt and drop. It's a heavy job, and the men work fast, jumping into position as rapidly a Formula One pit crew. This film would have shown people in Britain what life and work was like for the country's armed forces in the Boer War, on a front thousands of miles away. Today's military technology makes this kind of combat seem even more distant.

This film was produced by Cecil Hepworth's production company Hepwix and was almost certainly shot by HV Lawley, a recent addition to the staff, who made several military news films for the outfit.