The Ordnance QF 15 pounder gun, commonly referred to as the Ehrhardt, was a modern German field gun purchased by Britain in 1900 as a stopgap measure to upgrade its field artillery to modern QF standards, while it developed its own alternative. This was precipitated by the experience of the British Army in South Africa during the Boer War, where its standard field gun, the BL 15 pounder, was out-performed by modern French and German field guns deployed by the Boers. It bore no relation to the BL 15 pounder or BLC 15 pounder, two other guns in British service at the time, other than a common shell.