The BL 6in Mk VII gun, in service since the beginning of the war, gave satisfactory results when considering the shell destructive power, but with an insufficient range, limited by the little elevation angles.

In 1916, Vickers proposed a variation of the 6 inches tube mounted on a 8 inches Mk VI carriage. The BL 6 inches Mk XIX gun that was created that way had a consirably improved range, without loosing the destructive power. Moreover, the new gun was half as heavy as its cumbersome 'father', and was therefore more adapted to the battlefields use.

310 such guns were produced during WW1, but never entirely replaced the old Mk VII. These guns stayed in service until 1940, but some of them were used by Brasil afterwards.

Main characteristics :

Weight in firing position : 10338 kg
Calibre : 152.4 mm (6 in.)
Tube length : 36.5 calibres
Projectile weight : 45.4 kg
Initial velocity : 733 m/s
Maximum range : 17150 m
Elevation range : -0 / +48 degrees
Direction range : 8 degrees