''Treatise on Ammunition'', from 1926 retitled ''Text Book of Ammunition'', is a series of manuals detailing all

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

military and naval service

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

and associated equipment in use at the date of publication. It was published by the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

at approximate 5 year intervals. As the

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...

s are listed for which the ammunition can be used, the Treatise also constitutes a list of guns in service at the publication date. Its predecessor was ''Ammunition: A Descriptive Treatise on the Different Projectiles, Charges, Fuzes, Rockets, &c., at Present in Use for Land and Sea Service, and on Other War Stores Manufactured in the Royal Laboratory'' of 1867. The editions contain diagrams, measurements, storage and transportation instructions useful to

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

involved in storage, transport and firing of ammunition. It is an important primary source of information for

military historian Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians norma ...

s researching the types and capabilities of ammunition available to the British military at the time of various conflicts, and for collectors wishing to identify artifacts. However, the individual editions lack historical context, in that they omit dates and rationales for particular types and Marks of ammunition being added to or removed from the inventory. The editions are notable for the many pages of colour

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

s of cartridges, shells and fuzes by Harrison & Sons and later by Malby & Sons. From the 1926 edition onwards it was renamed ''Text Book of Ammunition''. The best known editions are the 10th, accurate as at August 1, 1914 and published in 1915 which constitutes a definitive description of the ammunition with which Britain began

World War I 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 ...

, and the 1936 edition which lists the ammunition with which Britain entered

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. These and other editions are available as modern facsimile reprints.

Editions

* 1st, published 1873. Lithographs by Harrison & Sons. * 2nd, 1877 edition. Corrected up to December 1877. Published 1878 * 3rd, as at November 1881. * 4th, published 1887. Lithographs by Dangerfield, Covent Garden * 5th, published 1894. Lithographs by Wyman & Sons Ltd. * 6th, published 1897 * 7th, published 1902. Lithographs by Weller & Graham Ltd. * 8th, dated 1 September 1905. Published 1906. Lithographs by Weller & Graham Ltd. * 9th, published 1911 * 10th, dated 1 August 1914. Published 1915. Lithographs by Malby & Sons. * 11th, published 1922. Lithographs by Malby & Sons. * Published 1926 * Published 1936. As at 29 May. * Published 1944 {{Commons category, Treatise on Ammunition 1873 books Ammunition Weapons of the United Kingdom Military handbooks and manuals Treatises