The Ordnance Society has been assembling the FIRST EVER UK database of preserved Breech-Loading (B.L.) & Quick-Firing (Q.F.) artillery over the past fifteen months, making a comprehensive spreadsheet freely available for download from the website, with until recently, 330 guns listed: The Ordnance Society The database includes artillery from National Collections (English Heritage, Imperial War Museum, National Army Museum, National Museum of the Royal Navy, and Royal Armouries); and smaller collections (Defence Academy, Eden Camp, Fort Amherst, Heugh Battery, Muckleburgh Collection, Newhaven Fort, New Tavern Fort, and Nothe Fort). The data is wide ranging, and includes serial numbers, dates, manufacturers, location, owner, comments, links to pictures if available, and country of origin if foreign. The Ordnance Society has now been able to almost DOUBLE THE SIZE OF ITS DATABASE with the addition of a large amount of valuable data from the Royal Artillery Collection, managed by the Royal Artillery Museum. There are now over 560 guns in the database. It provides, for the first time, details of many of the guns in the RA Collection, available online.
Richard I expect you know these 'loans' have been the cause of much comment and speculation. To my very limited knowledge there has never been an official response.
I believe that "On Loan" refers to the gun being loaned out to a regiment, and although the actual location has always been confidential, the Ordnance Society is working with the Royal Artillery Museum to improve and enhance the data available. Links to photograph(s) would certainly add hugely to the database.
I'm going to have to annoy the curator of the museum I volunteer at. The museum has a number of guns that don't appear on that spreadsheet.
Please don't upset him! Apart from the survey being the first of its kind, there is a benefit for the museum/owner of their guns with the publicity, as well as the potential to liaise with other museums/owners for help in terms of information and/or spare parts. The data input forms are, I hope, easy to download, fill in and e-mail back to the Ordnance Society. I look forward to hearing from the Museum!
