HL Deb 29 July 1912 vol 12 cc753-4
VISCOUNT MIDLETON

I beg to ask the noble Lord who represents the War Office the Question standing in my name on the Paper—namely, whether it is a fact that four of the recently converted rifles out of forty recently supplied to the Navy for practice have had the breech blown out; whether the ammunition employed has been withdrawn; and whether he can state the amount of this ammunition which is at present in store.

LORD HERSCHELL

In answer to the noble Viscount I have to state that it is a fact that about 190 rifles were lent by the War Office to the Admiralty for use at Bisley, but these rifles were not of the recently-converted type but were the long charger loading type such as are at present in use by the Territorial Force. According to the information supplied by the Admiralty, no breeches of these rifles were "blown out"; but—and this is probably the foundation for the noble Viscount's Question—four bolt heads broke off on extraction after the rifles had been fired. The ammunition which was used was the ordinary Mark VI., which, of course, is the only ammunition that could be used in these particular rifles owing to the sighting, and there is no reason to suppose that the breaking of the bolt heads was in any way connected with the ammunition which was used. The rifles will, I may say, be thoroughly examined before they are again issued for use.

THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY

The reply of the noble Lord is very interesting, but even the bolt heads of rifles do not burst for no reason at all. I suppose that, under the ordinary practice which prevails in the Service, a board of officers has sat to find out the cause of the breaking. It would be interesting if the noble Lord could tell us the cause.

LORD HERSCHELL

I am not sure whether the rifles have even come back yet. When they do the matter will certainly be examined into. But the point is that there is no reason for supposing that there is any connection between the breaking of the bolt head and the ammunition.

House adjourned at Six o'clock, till To-morrow, a quarter past Four o'clock.