Mantlets

I trust everyone continues to be well. As if to add insult to injury it snowed here this morning. Anyway, back to the photos. A question has been asked about how the previously featured bombard could be fired with all that wood in the way.

So, the chaps standing on either side with ropes in their hands would, at the point the gun was ready to fire, pull and thereby raise the shield in a sort of reverse guillotine fashion, lowering it back again afterwards.

Of course it would be perhaps more normal for the shield to simply pivot on a hinge.

Protection for artillery crew came in many forms. It would appear that this lot haven't finished building theirs yet.