The British artillery had a secret, and it was named after the man who invented it. Around the turn of the century a Royal Artillery officer, Lieutenant Henry Shrapnel, perfected "spherical case shot" — a hollow iron ball packed with musket balls and a bursting charge, fitted with a fuze timed to explode it in the air above the enemy and rain the balls down on them. It did the work of close-range canister at ranges canister could never reach, and the British guarded the secret jealously through the Peninsular War and Waterloo. The weapon is long obsolete, but its inventor's name never left the language: every modern soldier who speaks of "shrapnel" is remembering a Royal Artillery lieutenant.

The set is a British gun crew in action — an officer and five gunners serving a 9-pounder on its grey-blue carriage, ramming, sponging, and carrying the rounds, in dark blue coats with red facings and yellow lace, fur caps and white plumes. It is the firing point of a British Waterloo diorama. Pair it with the unusual Mounted Rocket Corps of the RHA, range the guns behind the British Line Infantry they support, and place it all under Wellington at Waterloo.

Tradition of London model B2A. 54mm, white metal, hand-painted in gloss enamel. Six-figure set — an officer and five gunners with a 9-pounder gun. Supplied in the Tradition Classic Red Box. Allow 2–3 weeks delivery.