My friend Ian Mills has studied the South African origins of the Martini-Henry triggered IEDs, (discussed in the two earlier posts below) and written about it in the British Army Review. I’ll try and get permission to copy his article here, but that may not be possible. The Boer IED team were led by a former British boy-soldier turned deserter, Captain Jack Hindon, but Ian describes the IED design as liekly being the work of one Carl Cremer, a fellow Boer. Interestingly while on a posting to South Africa, Ian had the opportunity to conduct some trials on the Martini-Henry trigger system (real Martini-Henry, real trains!) and found it worked just fine. He also found reference to the Hindon gang using “copper wire” as a pull switch command mechanism
In looking at this I have found reference (albeit unclear and vague) of pressure initiated IEDs used in the US Civil war to attacks trains on railroads. IED use in the US civil war was very extensive and I have blogged about it before a little, here. I keep finding extensive Civil War references to electrical initiated IEDs, victim operated or target operated devices, (often friction pull switches) and the like for both land and water based IEDs (called torpedoes in the vernacular of the time.). There’s a lot on intersting development in waterproofing under-water IEDs. I have just found a good description of a “horological torpedo” or timed IED used successfully by Confederate forces. As an example see the image below of electrically in initiated command wire IEDs from 1862, recovered by Union forces in Kentucky.
I’d be grateful if any of my US colleagues who might be able to help to write about US Civil War IEDs (you know who you are!) and post as guest blogs. There’s a lot of open source information out there but you guys can probably dig a little further. There are interesting connections to be made….