§ MR. FULLER (Wiltshire, Westbury)To ask the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the character of a number of lyddite shells recently used by the howitzer batteries on Salisbury Plain; and whether he will cause an inquiry to be made into the matter.
(Answer.) The lyddite shells in question are quite correct. The fuses used with them at the practice are designed primarily for use against ships, for action on direct impact, and are very satisfactory for this purpose. Owing to doubt as to the complete safety of the fuses designed to burst on graze, which have been used in South Africa, the Ordnance Committee recommended that their use at practice should cease and that the direct impact fuses should be used at practice pending the approaching completion of their experiments with an improved graze fuse. This recommendation was acted on at Salisbury, but the fuses failed, in a large number of instances, to act on graze. (War Office)