firms. Manufacture of the Vickers model which was twice as expensive was ended and it was withdrawn by January 1917. It fired a spherical cast-iron bomb "the size of a football" painted dirty white filled with amatol (identified by a painted green band) or ammonal (identified by a painted pink band) attached to the end of a pipe ("stick"), hence the nicknames "toffee apple" and "plum pudding". Weights of bombs as delivered without fuzes varied. Light bombs, from 39 lb 14 oz to below 40 lb 10 oz (18.09 to 18.43 kg), were marked with a stenciled L. Heavy bombs, above 41 lb 10 oz to 42 lb 6 oz (18.43 to 19.22 kg) were marked with a stenciled Hv. Hence the total fuzed weight with stick of 51 lb is an average. The 2-inch designation refers to the mortar barrel's bore and the projectile stick inserted into it, not the much larger bomb itself which remained outside the barrel. It was comparable in explosive power if not range to other 4-inch mortars. The 2-inch mortar was itself superseded by the Newton 6-inch mortar from mid-1917 onwards. Some Australian units retained them for projecting smoke screens. Combat use Deployment The weapon was initially operated by joint infantry and artillery detachments, eventually it became the responsibility of the Royal Field Artillery. A typical infantry division was equipped with three batteries designated X, Y, Z, each with four mortars. Use in action Its primary use was in cutting barbed wire defenses and attacking enemy front line trenches, such as in the July 1916 attack on the Somme. The spherical shape and relatively low velocity brought the benefit that the bomb did not penetrate the ground before exploding. The short range was a disadvantage as it could only be used if no man's land (between the British and enemy front line) was relatively narrow. It was used to fire some white star (50%-50% chlorine and phosgene) gas bombs during the Battle of the Somme until other specialised longer range projectors became available. Cordite charges appropriate to the required range were dropped into the barrel before the bomb was loaded. Charges and ranges: 1.5 ounces (40 g): 100–220 yards (90–200 m) (dangerous due to propensity for incomplete burn and hence to fall short) 2.5 ounces (70 g): 180–340 yards (160–310 m) 3.5 ounces (100 g): 300–500 yards (270–460 m) The original design for igniting