Pickle for Cartridge Brass

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

My impression is that 'five nines' moniker was mainly used for the shells, rather than the guns – which themselves were rarely seen by Tommy unless such artillery was overrun.

Some versions of Wilfred Owen's 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' end the first stanza with:

…deaf even to the hoots

Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

…instead of 'gas shells dropping softly behind'. Apart from scanning better, the 'five-nines' can only be referring to shells.

As for 'Jack Johnsons', another common name was 'coalboxes'.

Edited By Mick B1 on 12/10/2018 17:50:38

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