Gun carriage

[3] The earliest guns were laid directly onto the ground, with earth being piled up under the muzzle end of the barrel to increase the elevation.

This simplified elevation, which was achieved by raising or lowering the breech of the gun by means of a wedge called a quoin or later by a steel screw.

[6] These were designed to allow guns to be deployed on the battlefield and were provided with a pair of large wheels similar to those used on carts or wagons.

[7] When the gun needed to be moved any distance, the trail could be lifted onto a second separate axle called a limber, which could then be towed by a team of horses or oxen.

[8] An innovation from the mid-18th century was the invention of the "block trail", which replaced the heavy cheeks and transoms of the "double-bracket" carriage with a single wooden spar reinforced with iron.

[10] Some of the features of modern carriages are listed below and illustrated in the photo gallery: Gun carriages have been used to carry the coffin of fallen soldiers and officers at military funerals and holders of high office with a military connection in state funerals to their final resting place.

[15] At the 2015 state funeral of Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore, the coffin was mounted on a 25-pounder gun towed by a Land Rover.