The Stokes mortar overcame a sensible logistical objection

Wilfred Stokes responded to the firepower demands of the trenches with a more mobile alternative to the German Minenwerfer family. He worked on the design in late 1914, with the formal design dated here to January 1915. The Army initially rejected it because it required ammunition outside its existing stocks. That objection is treated as a sound logistical concern: another weapon meant another supply requirement. Lieutenant Colonel J. C. Matheson of the Trench Warfare Supply Department supported the mortar and brought it to David Lloyd George's attention. His surname is incomplete in the captions. With the Minister of Munitions behind it, production advanced during 1915 despite the additional supply complexity.