Artillery shell fired with X’mas pudding during Boer war in South Africa stored in Jabalpur

Nagpur: When Boers in South Africa were at war with the British and lay siege to the garrison town of Ladysmith in 1899, there was an unexpected gesture from the Dutch-speaking raiders who were waiting in ambush. An artillery shell flew from the Boer side into the town on December 27, but it wasn't mounted with a fuse to trigger an explosion, but with a plum cake and ‘Christmas Greetings' painted on it. And the artillery shell which defined truce, now lies 7,500km off the Ladysmith battlefield, at Jabalpur in India, and not known to many.The Indian army continues with the British tradition of holding the annual Ladysmith competition to mark the siege and end to Boer hostilities in the South African town. Last week, a competition was held at the army's central ammunition depot (CAD) in Pulgaon, 100km off Nagpur, and the home team bagged the medal, keeping alive the 125-year-old colonial ritual. The event also unearthed the century-old Ladysmith story."The shell was brought to India by Major Mohan and presented as the Ladysmith trophy for a firing competition among ordnance units. This is the original one and its replica is used as a rolling trophy for firing competitions conducted every year," reads a note shared by the CAD Commandant, Brigadier Kaushlesh Panghal, after sourcing details from army ordnance corps (AOC) museum at Jabalpur, where the century-old shell is kept since eight decades. Major Mohan brought the military relic to India from South Africa when artefacts were being collected from across the globe during British rule to build a museum at Jabalpur, said an AOC officer. Entry to the museum is restricted.The same museum has the American Gatling Gun — the oldest machine gun and the only surviving operational piece. The US Ambassador had once offered a blank cheque to get it back, only to be politely refused by India.TOI traced the history of the shell and the Ladysmith firing competition after the Pulgaon event on October 20 and 21. A note shared by AOC reads "Ladysmith is a small town in Natal, South Africa named after Joanna — wife of Harry Smith who was Governor of Cape Colony in South Africa. The town was under prolonged siege during the Boer War of 1899. On December 27, a shell fired from a 10-pounder gun landed at the ordnance field park of the town. Inside the shell was a piece of plum cake wrapped in a tiny Union Jack. It also had the words ‘compliments of the season' painted on it. The siege ended in March 1900 and the Ladysmith shooting competition was kicked off to mark the day".Since it landed at the ordnance field park, it turned into an annual celebration among the Royal Army Ordnance Corps of the British army. After independence, the AOC, which manages supply of ammunition to fighting units, holds an annual competition among its units.A replica of the shell is mounted on a teak pedestal on which a Union Jack has been framed with names of earlier winners etched on it, says the note. While CAD, Pulgaon, won the competition this year, the pedestal also has names of other winners — Quetta, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Ferozepur, Cawnpore, Madras, Calcutta, Allahabad and Madras — etched on it. Some ordnance unit teams in present-day Pakistan were named as the championship has been held since pre-partition times, said an officer at the museum.At Pulgaon, shooters hit the bull's eye with the INSAS 5.56 rifles and light machine guns. The weapons change from time to time, depending on what is in use by the Indian army, said an officer responding TOI's query. The schedule of the competition is fixed by the AOC each year.The AOC Museum, which was set up after World War II, has every conceivable piece of small arms, canons and other rare exhibits, which were initially moved from Fort William in Calcutta in 1926. During the war, exhibits were packed and kept aside to make way for ammunition needed at battle fronts and later shifted to Jabalpur, says the AOC website.
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