Lt.-Col. Neville Sneyd Bertie-Clay
(22 July 1864 – 17 October 1938) was a British army officer. He served in the
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
and in the
Royal Garrison Artillery
The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...
, but spent much of his career on secondment to the Indian Ordnance Department of the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
. Bertie-Clay invented the
dum dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality of Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of Kolkata urban area and also a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
Etymology
During the 19th ...
soft pointed bullet in 1896 as the Mark II
Lee-Metford bullet then in use was perceived to leave a small wound with insufficient
stopping power
Stopping power is the ability of a weapon – typically a ranged weapon such as a firearm – to cause a target (human or animal) to be incapacitated or immobilized. Stopping power contrasts with lethality in that it pertains only to a weapon's ...
to halt a determined charge. The dum dum would later be outlawed for use in warfare by the
Hague Convention of 1899 but remains in use for police firearms and hunting.
Army career
Bertie-Clay was born in
Chhindwara
, other_name = Corn city
, nickname =
, settlement_type = City
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, image_alt =
, image_caption =
, p ...
to Maj.-Gen. Edward Bertie Clay of the
Bengal Staff Corps
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
and Sarah Maria (''née'' Attwood). His great-grandfather was Rear Admiral
Edward Sneyd Clay
Rear-Admiral Edward Sneyd Clay ( – 3 February 1846) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
Clay entered the navy just before the end of the Ameri ...
(1768–1846). He served as an officer in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
from at least 6 June 1887 when, as a
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
in the
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
, he was seconded to the Indian Ordnance Department of the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
. He was promoted to the rank of
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
on 18 May 1892 whilst still on secondment, this promotion being later postponed to 25 May. Bertie-Clay received promotion to
Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
on 21 December 1901, remaining with the Indian Ordnance Department. By this point he had transferred to the
Royal Garrison Artillery
The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...
(RGA) which had been formed in 1899 as a sub-branch of the Royal Artillery to manage the heavy guns. Bertie-Clay was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel on 18 May 1912, remaining with both the Ordnance Department and the RGA.
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, on 21 June 1917, Bertie-Clay was put on a "Special Appointment", receiving pay equivalent to a
Staff Lieutenant (1st class) whilst doing so. His special appointment pay was upgraded to "Class GG" on 23 November 1918 and he relinquished both the appointment and pay on 24 July 1919. Bertie-Clay was awarded the
French Croix de Guerre
The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...
on 21 August 1919 at which point he had returned to the RGA and was once again seconded to the Indian Ordnance Department. Bertie-Clay died on 17 October 1938, having lived for some time at Villa La Pensée in
Papara
Paparā is a commune of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Paparā is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivision of the Windward Islands, themselves part of the Society Islands. ,
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
,
Society Islands
The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the F ...
.
Dum dum bullet
![303 British](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/303_British.jpg)
Bertie-Clay is most famous for being the inventor of the
dum dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality of Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of Kolkata urban area and also a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
Etymology
During the 19th ...
, a
soft pointed bullet. At the time of their invention in 1896 Bertie-Clay was the Superintendent of the British arsenal at
Dum Dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality of Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of Kolkata urban area and also a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
Etymology
During the 19th ...
in
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
.
The Mark II
Lee-Metford bullet then in use with the British Army was shown, during the
Chitral Expedition
The Chitral Expedition (Urdu:چترال فوجی مہم) was a military expedition in 1895 sent by the British authorities to relieve the fort at Chitral, which was under siege after a local coup following the death of the old ruler. An interv ...
of 1895, to leave a small wound with insufficient
stopping power
Stopping power is the ability of a weapon – typically a ranged weapon such as a firearm – to cause a target (human or animal) to be incapacitated or immobilized. Stopping power contrasts with lethality in that it pertains only to a weapon's ...
to halt a determined charge, particularly when fired at close range.
The Mark II bullet had a
full metal jacket
''Full Metal Jacket'' is a 1987 war drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford's 1979 novel ''The Short-Timers'' and stars Matthew M ...
and did not deform upon hitting a person, allowing it to travel straight through tissue and bone without smashing it.
The ''
British Medical Journal
''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origi ...
'' published a report on one tribesman who had been hit by six such bullets but recovered in hospital.
![18961219-Br Med J 1896;2-1810-Dum Dum Bullets Composite Image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/18961219-Br_Med_J_1896%3B2-1810-Dum_Dum_Bullets_Composite_Image.JPG)
The military authorities decided that the bullet should be altered to increase its stopping power without affecting its range.
Bertie-Clay developed a bullet at Dum Dum with a metal jacket that did not run the whole length of the bullet and so exposed the softer lead tip.
When this bullet hit a target the lead head would deform (or "mushroom"), spreading the force of the bullet out and causing larger wounds.
In public trials held in 1896 the bullet was proved to have a greater stopping power than the Mark II.
This was not the first expanding bullet,
hollow-point bullet
upright=0.2, Cross-section of a hollow-point bullet; proportions are those of a .22 Long Rifle cartridge
Jacketed soft point (JSP) round. Right: Jacketed hollow-point (JHP) round. JSP is a semi-jacketed round as the jacket does not extend to ...
s had been developed earlier particularly for use in hunting.
The British Army adopted the bullet and used it against Asian and African opponents, but it was thought "too cruel" for use against Europeans.
The dum dum bullet was banned by the
Hague Convention of 1899 under rules that prohibited explosive bullets that had been taken over from the
St. Petersburg Declaration of 1868.
The delegates at the convention decided that the use of dum dum bullets in warfare was "contrary to the humanitarian spirit", despite the British delegation's protests that it was needed for colonial wars.
The dum dum bullet is still in use by police forces for handguns to maximise stopping power and minimise the risk of passing through a target and hitting a bystander and in some types of game hunting.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bertie-Clay, Neville
1864 births
1938 deaths
Ammunition designers
British inventors
Royal Garrison Artillery officers
British Army personnel of the Second Boer War
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
Royal Artillery officers