Why was Sir William Anderson Involved with Cordite?
Simply put, gunpowder had been needed to be replaced as a method of delivering shells. Alfred Nobel invented a mixture of nitroglycerine and nitrocellulose and camphor which he called Ballistite. The British Government asked a number of manufacturers to supply a committee set up to investigate military propellants.
Nobel amongst supplied samples and technical information to the Committee that Anderson was seconded to. A short time later the Leaders of the Committee Professors Abel and Dewar ‘invented’ a propellant called Cordite and Patented is use and manufacture. Nobel was less than happy at yet another example of duplicitous action. It was more galling because Abel had on a previous occasion tried for his own benefit endeavoured to use his official position to thwart Nobel and his companies development and in doing so created a pesonal fortune. For various and almost duplicitous reasons the War Office declare the Patent case that Nobel has taken against the Governemnt ‘A Friendly Suit’ and named the Director-General of Ordnance: Dr. Anderson as the person against whom the action was taken. It was taken under The Petition of Right granted in 1892 but this not followed for reasons that will become clear. For full background and technical account of the legal case and the Chemistry of Cordite.
See. The History of Explosives: Volume II, The Case for Cordite John Williams..
Simply put, gunpowder had been needed to be replaced as a method of delivering shells. Alfred Nobel invented a mixture of nitroglycerine and nitrocellulose and camphor which he called Ballistite. The British Government asked a number of manufacturers to supply a committee set up to investigate military propellants.
Nobel amongst supplied samples and technical information to the Committee that Anderson was seconded to. A short time later the Leaders of the Committee Professors Abel and Dewar ‘invented’ a propellant called Cordite and Patented is use and manufacture. Nobel was less than happy at yet another example of duplicitous action. It was more galling because Abel had on a previous occasion tried for his own benefit endeavoured to use his official position to thwart Nobel and his companies development and in doing so created a pesonal fortune. For various and almost duplicitous reasons the War Office declare the Patent case that Nobel has taken against the Governemnt ‘A Friendly Suit’ and named the Director-General of Ordnance: Dr. Anderson as the person against whom the action was taken. It was taken under The Petition of Right granted in 1892 but this not followed for reasons that will become clear. For full background and technical account of the legal case and the Chemistry of Cordite.
See. The History of Explosives: Volume II, The Case for Cordite John Williams..