There are many different weapons that have been used in this war. I was at first equipped with a Canadian Ross Riffle and a bayonet. Then later due to some problems with the riffle I was given a machine gun.
The Riffle was a good one for hunting but did not work well in the trenches. It tended to jam after rapid fire. We were given a British Lee En-fields. These proved to be much more efficient and was able to fire fifteen rounds per minute.
Father's letters told me that the replacing the Canadian Riffle with a British has caused some stir with the government. They were accused of failing to support the troops over seas. I am just thankful that now I have a weapon which works.
We also use hand grenades which are very effective. They are egg shaped and can be thrown thirty meters and cause a large explosion. Artillery is also useful for our type of warfare. The 18 Pounder Field was used to fire sharpnell shells and gas shells. I constantly fear of a sharpnell shell, because the trenches do not provide much safety from them.
There has been some advancements of the tank.It was used first at the Battle of the Somme. It is immune to machine gun fire. The tanks were able to cross trenches but unable to break through German lines. It was also slow and had mechanical errors.
- http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/guerre/grenades-e.aspx
- http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ww1can/weapons.htm
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