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Long Tom was a familiar term name for the British 60-pr. "position" gun of the earlier days of the First World War. It is also a colloquial term used for any big gun. The name became familiarized to the public in the Boer War, originating apparently with the name given to the notorious Boer big gun firing from Pepworth Hill at the Siege of Ladysmith.[1]
References / notes
- ↑ Edward Fraser and John Gibbons (1925). Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases. Routledge, London p.147.
The above term is listed in our Compendium of the Great War.
This compendium forms the central hub of words, phrases, people, and places relative to the Great War period of 1914–1918. These also include battles, political events, ships, trench slang, British and American service terms and expressions in everyday use, nicknames, sobriquets, the titles of British and Commonwealth Regiments and their origins, and also warfare in general. These words and phrases are contemporary with the war, which is reflected in the language used, some of which may seem derogatory by today's standards. Feel free to expand upon and improve this content.