Bren serial numbers.

[Woodsy]

Hi Chris

Here are some more from a mate;

All my BRENs are NZ Army ones.

1) Enfieild ('ED') MkI (date of manf. milled away) s/n F5721 N^ZDP4 on action DP38 on lower

2) John Inglis ('JI') MkII 1941 s/n N7433 NZ^A3XXX

3) Damlier ('D') MkII 1942 s/n S8448 NZ6779

4) MonoType ('M67') MkII 1943 s/n U2030 NZ6878

2; 3 & 4 have transit boxes with matching s/n painted on the end of lids.


These are as copied from the email I received. I figure the ED gun is early 1941.

Cheers
Rod

[Brit plumber]

Thanks Rod, F5721 is a very early 41 gun, any chance you can ask the owner if it has a rib on the right hand side, Its right between the change from rib to smooth side.

[Woodsy]

Hi Chris

I just heard back and it does have the vertical machined rib. I forgot to mention that all four guns are live.

Cheers
Rod

[andy602]

Hello

Ive got a list of deactivated Bren serial numbers to add when I get time, but I recently acquired a South African 7.62mm conversion with the original serial removed. It is a double dovetail made by Enfield with the old serial of A309 marked on the barrel nut, it also has a Kings crown and is dated 1937. I know this date is early but is it very rare ?
Regards, Andy . . .

[Peter Laidler]

The first 400 Brens of which yours could be one of were taken to one side and dubbed the post production batch. These were subject to critical examination to satisfy the manufacturing operation. They were also used to formulate other things, such as the spare parts supply, maintenance etc etc. Certainly A307 was used at Weedon to ascertain this.

About 381 were dated 1937 but BP may have a more up to date guestimate

[andy602]

Thanks for the information Peter, much appreciated.

Some more serial numbers, all UK deacs:

A4949 MK1 DOUBLE DOVETAIL DATED 1938
A9033 MK1 DOUBLE DOVETAIL DATED 1939
C2807 MK1 DOUBLE DOVETAIL DATED 1939
Y167 MK1 DOUBLE DOVETAIL UNDATED ALL MARKINGS INCLUDING ORIGINAL SERIAL REMOVED, ONLY MARKING " BREN MK1"

Will add more later, Regards, Andy . . .

[Brit plumber]

Thanks Andy, Last 1937 I have noted is A374, if the original number has been removed I believe it will be a ex Rhodesian gun, its a real shame it was converted and then had the original number removed too but that's the way it goes.

Is A4949 the correct number? I have a A4944 listed which belonged to the same guy as your A9033 (Deac by Mike Priest and was sold to you by MDW?) The Y167 sounds like its one of the steralised Brens that came out of Grease, these guns had the markings milled out or linished off, even the acceptance markings were removed.

[andy602]

Hello Brit Plumber
Just checked and A4949 is correct, I did get A9033 from MDW.
Just had a closer look and A309 ( now 115111 ) still has A309 marked on barrel nut and in several places on working parts, like you said its a real shame !
More numbers:

A9478 MK1 Lithgow 1942
B2894 MK1 LITHGOW 1943
UE55 A1787 MK3 ENFIELD 1955

Thanks, Andy . . .

[andy602]

A couple more numbers: 2T3890 INGLIS MK1 1942
A3589 Lithgow MK1 1942 - - - I see earlier in the thread that Peter had seen A3511 Lithgow and it was a double dovetail, A3589 is not so I assume it would be one of the
first non double dovetails.
Regards, Andy . . .

[Brit plumber]

Hi Andy, Thanks for the numbers, I'll add them to the list. Lithgow made approx. 350 DD Brens, A1 to A350 however I have heard of a few out of sequence, A955 being one, there could be a number of reasons for this, a couple of the more plausible are that it was a gun that failed gauging at one production stage and was put to one side for remedial work as the serial was one of the last things to be carried out. Another could be that it was an error in serial numbering, I have a few Lithgow guns that are odd in their serial numbers, one has had a digit in the body serial engraved upside down, one has had a correction over the wrong number and another has a A prefix number on the body but a B prefix on the butt slide, the rest of the number matches. The earliest non DD Lithgow I have listed is A377 built Aug 41.

Theres also two versions of the Lithgow non DD gun, the first has fluted gas ports like the DD guns and the second has D shaped gas ports like the Enfield Pattern A (Later bog standard Enfield Mk1).