Dum Dum Arsenal: Difference between revisions

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The '''Dum Dum Arsenal''' was a British military facility located near the town of [[Dum Dum]] in modern [[West Bengal]], [[India]].<ref>{{cite web |title=DUM-DUM CARTRIDGES. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/01/04/109311715.pdf |date=4 January 1886 |publisher=[[The New York Times]] |page= | format=PDF}}</ref>
The '''Dum Dum Arsenal''' was a British military facility located near the town of [[Dum Dum]] in modern [[West Bengal]], [[India]].<ref>{{cite web |title=DUM-DUM CARTRIDGES. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/01/04/109311715.pdf |date=4 January 1886 |work=[[The New York Times]] |page= }}</ref>


The arsenal was at the centre of the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], caused in part by rumours that the [[paper cartridge]]s for their muzzle-loading rifles, which they were expected to bite open, were greased with pig lard (a problem for Muslims) or cow fat (a problem for Hindus).<ref>{{cite book
The arsenal was at the centre of the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], caused in part by rumours that the [[paper cartridge]]s for their muzzle-loading rifles, which they were expected to bite open, were greased with pig lard (a problem for Muslims) or cow fat (a problem for Hindus).<ref>{{cite book
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|author=Charles Henry H. Wright, John Lovering Cooke}}</ref>
|author=Charles Henry H. Wright, John Lovering Cooke}}</ref>


It was at this arsenal that Captain [[Neville Bertie-Clay]] developed the Mark IV cartridge, the so-called  "Dum-dum bullet", a [[soft-point bullet]], and a hollow point version designed to mushroom on striking. This was one of the first series of [[expanding bullet]]s for military use. They were later banned in warfare by the [[Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907)|Hague Convention]] as being "too inhumane."
It was at this arsenal that Captain [[Neville Bertie-Clay]] developed the .303-inch ''Mark II Special'' cartridge, incorporating the original so-called  "Dum-dum bullet", a [[soft-point bullet]] designed to mushroom on striking.<ref>{{cite web
|title = British Military Small Arms Ammunition
|url = https://sites.google.com/site/britmilammo/-303-inch/ball-page-2
|author = Tony Edwards and Richard Tordoff
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|title = The .303 British Service Cartridge
|url = https://harringtonmuseum.org.uk/the-303-british-service-cartridge/
|author = Roy Tebbutt}}
</ref> This was the first in a series of [[expanding bullet]]s developed by the British for military use. They were later banned in warfare by the [[Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907)|Hague Convention]] as being "too inhumane."


On 7 December 1908, a serious, accidental explosion occurred at the Dum Dum arsenal, resulting in the death or serious injury to about 50 workmen.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia| year = 2009 | title = Dum Dum | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica | url = http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article-9031421| accessdate = }}</ref><ref>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Dum-Dum |inline=1 |volume=8 |page=661}}</ref>
On 7 December 1908, a serious, accidental explosion occurred at the Dum Dum arsenal, resulting in the death or serious injury to about 50 workers.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia| year = 2009 | title = Dum Dum | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica | url = http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article-9031421| accessdate = }}</ref><ref>{{EB1911 |wstitle=Dum-Dum |inline=1 |volume=8 |page=661}}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Latest revision as of 18:48, 10 June 2021

Dum Dum Arsenal
IndustryMunitions
Headquarters,
Key people
Captain Neville Bertie-Clay

The Dum Dum Arsenal was a British military facility located near the town of Dum Dum in modern West Bengal, India.[1]

The arsenal was at the centre of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, caused in part by rumours that the paper cartridges for their muzzle-loading rifles, which they were expected to bite open, were greased with pig lard (a problem for Muslims) or cow fat (a problem for Hindus).[2]

It was at this arsenal that Captain Neville Bertie-Clay developed the .303-inch Mark II Special cartridge, incorporating the original so-called "Dum-dum bullet", a soft-point bullet designed to mushroom on striking.[3][4] This was the first in a series of expanding bullets developed by the British for military use. They were later banned in warfare by the Hague Convention as being "too inhumane."

On 7 December 1908, a serious, accidental explosion occurred at the Dum Dum arsenal, resulting in the death or serious injury to about 50 workers.[5][6]

References[edit]

  1. "DUM-DUM CARTRIDGES" (PDF). The New York Times. 4 January 1886.
  2. Charles Henry H. Wright, John Lovering Cooke (1873). Memoir of John Lovering Cooke, with a sketch of the Indian mutiny of 1857-58. Oxford University. p. 29.
  3. Tony Edwards and Richard Tordoff. "British Military Small Arms Ammunition".
  4. Roy Tebbutt. "The .303 British Service Cartridge".
  5. "Dum Dum". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009.
  6.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Dum-Dum". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 661.