So, the gun posted is Not a mortar initiator? Interesting....
William
"Much that once was, is lost. For none now live who remember it."
I think that the answer lies in Skennerton's text, where he says: "In some cases these were merely cut-down rifle actions like the Mk111 S.M.L.E. illustrated here." Closer examination of the picture suggests that the gun is a chopped Mk1 - not a Mk111. There is no charger bridge, but it looks as though the receiver has the characteristic 'hump' which acted as a 'stop' to the charger guide fixed to the bolt-head. I have only managed to track down one other picture of a chopped SMLE like the one at the beginning of this thread. Nothing can be ruled out, but I just cannot find anything which supports the theory of such guns being used in tunnel warfare. Here say isn't strong enough evidence to support the claim. I may contact the school of infantry in Warminster and see if they can shed any light on it.
cheers,
Steve.
I have seen a WW1 film where Lee Enfield No 4's are used by the British, and export models of the Gew 98's by the Germans. I've also seen smooth-jacketed Vickers guns being used by Turks in a film about Gallipoli... And don't get me going on the wrong type of aircraft in the battle of Britain film! God help us all if we start to take it as gospel what we see in films...
I've been in touch with a friend of mine today, Prof Michael LoCicero of Birmingham University. He tells me that he actually owns a cut-down Lee Enfield which he excavated at Mametz wood in the 1980's. It is currently with his father back in the USA, but he will try to get him to photograph it for the forum.
And what did he say it was used for?
William
"Much that once was, is lost. For none now live who remember it."
He didn't say what his example was used for, but he did quote an extract from a book written by Brigadier-General W.D. Villier-Stuart...
'When last in 'Y' Wood sector (Ypres) I had seen that the bombers were very much hampered by their rifles. I thought a lot about it and finally took a salvaged rifle along to the Field Ordnance repair shop and got a conductor to cut it down to a 12-inch barrel, re-braze the foresight block and sight to the muzzle of that, and remove the back-sight and bed altogether, cutting a 'V' in the bridge charger guide to replace it (the upper sling swivel was discarded and the lower band shifted back to take a sling swivel).
'This made a very good close-quarter weapon and the nose cap being repositioned on the shortened fore-end meant that a sword (bayonet) could be fixed. I then had 10 more made and issued them to Officers for testing. We tried them on the butts (ranges) and found them very accurate to 100 yards and am sure they would have been good at two hundred yards as well.'
Obviously these weapons were totally different than the one originally pictured, and I would think that it is safe to assume that the modification was to the front end only. It does prove though, that such modifications were carried out to salvaged rifles. I've included a couple of interesting pictures found on the internet...
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