One of the more exciting roles involving the 10 pounder was those that accompanied Lawrence of Arabia. His use of Rolls Royce armoured cars is well known, but less well known is that of the Talbot light trucks that carried 10 pounder mountain guns on their rear bed. These were used from 1916 until what is called ˜the last great cavalry charge™, at the Battle of Meggido in September 1918. There were six Talbots with two 10 pounder guns, later increased to six, one for each Talbot. The Talbots use were the strengthened Talbot SY chassis designed for use in Russia, but even then the 10 pounder with its lack of recoil system caused the Talbot chassis to visible bend and spring back into place every time they were fired.
Lawrence of Arabia described the section as;
"An oddment which General Clayton had seen in Egypt and sent down to us in an inspired moment. Its six Talbots, specially geared for heavy work, carried (at first) two 10 pounders with British gunners".
He then later described an action involving the Talbot mounted 10 pounders;
"The Talbot battery opened the affair, coming spiritedly into action just below our point while the three armoured cars crawled around the Turkish earthworks like great dogs nosing out a trail. The enemy soldiers popped up their heads to gaze, and everything was very friendly and curious, till the cars slewed round their Vickers and began to spray the trenches. Then the Turks, realising that it was an attack, got down behind their parapets and fired at the cars raggedly. It was about as deadly as peppering a rhinoceros with bird shot. After a while they turned their attention to Brodie’s (Talbot) guns and peppered the earth about them with bullets."
Photos of the Talbots show them with no bonnet fitted (in one case covering the 10 pounder gun from the sunlight) and a small canvas cover over the cab, a very interesting modelling possibility. The Talbots and 10 pounders were operated by the Motor Section, Royal Field Artillery “ unusual in that 10 pounders were usually operated by members of the Royal Garrison Artillery
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