The Bangalore torpedo came about in 1907 after the lessons learned from the Russo-Japanese War. Barbed wire barriers needed special attention and Indian sappers under Captain McClintock developed a narrow tube 2.5" in diameter and 6.5' long that held 12 lbs of explosives (usually dynamite or gun cotton slabs) that was connected at the end to a 13" firing handle with fuze and safety pin. Tube extensions ran another 6.5' which could lead to lengths of torpedos of 6.5', 13', 19.5', etc... that were used to pentrate the wire in the center via a wooden spiked block and then detonated, destroying the entire wire obstacle for infantry assault (unlike movie versions that place the torp at the bottom which would reduce effectiveness). Bangalores were used in WW1 by both sides and WW2 forward. The German version in WW1 was called a Sprengryhre (Bounce Tube) or Granatedrache (Grenade Dragon) in WW2. See pic below for German WW2 version. US and British versions were used postwar in Asia and Africa.

http://reibert.info/forum/picture.php?s=50297caad6cdfbb349249df968234573&albumid=2403&pictureid=71774