Lewis Gun Love Affair (by Graeme "broadarrow303" Barber)

[Badger]

With thanks to member Graeme "broadarrow303" Barber, an excellent new research article about the Lewis Gun has been added to the United Kingdom - Milsurps Knowledge Library (click here).

Lewis Gun Love Affair (FULL article - click here)

Article Extract .....

Believe it or not this Lewis gun ‘love affair’ goes back 57 years when as a young boy I visited (most weekends with my parents) my grandparents farm at Corredale near Oamaru in the South Island of New Zealand. Dad would help on the farm followed by wandering around the rolling hills shooting rabbits, with me eagerly tagging along from the age of 2 years. Any chance I could I would sneak in to the old dairy attached to the homestead to stare longingly at the picture of 'big' guns hanging on the wall. It was in fact a military training chart hanging from a nail by butchers string with a Lewis gun on one side and a Bren gun on the other. Over the years my grandfather (a WWI veteran from the Somme trenches) told me how as a Captain of the local Home Guard during WW II, he spent most Sundays training the Guardsmen in shooting SMLE rifles and machine guns on a range built on his farm. This eager young boy often re-enacted battles on the range with his brothers and cousins, asked lots of questions and got to see several other mementos of WWI and training items used with the Home Guard. My burgeoning interest in shooting and war stories must have been recognised by my Grandfather because when I was 10 years of age he gave me a No 23 grenade, a sectionalised No 36 grenade, his money and corps belts both adorned with WW1 badges and buttons and the much admired machine gun training charts. My life long interest in collecting British militaria was very much born. (article continues) .....

Sample pics from article's extensive photo montage

Left - Lewis Model 1914 Light Machine Gun fitted with No 5 Magazine and Mk III Field Mount (Bi-pod) introduced September 1915 LOC 17483
Middle- A circa WWII modified ‘L’ marked pattern 37 web equipment Bren gun pouch with spare pawls, return springs, replacement parts, loading tools (metal and half metal/wood types), barrel spanners first and second type (modified from Oct 17th 1921-LOC 24676), clearing plugs MkI and MkII (from August 31st 1916-LOC 17938), gas regulator reamer, and bolt handle extension (an American product that fitted in to the bolt handle to assist with retracting a jammed bolt).
Right - Lewis gun in pieces and parts list - NZ Archives Wellington R224340330

(Click PIC to Enlarge)(Click PIC to Enlarge)

Regards,
Doug

Information

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[bigduke6]

An Excellent read, If my Grandad was still here I,m sure he would have a few comments or stories to add. A bit off topic but on the Photos of the 1913 Lewis gun at BSA , did anyone notice the 1888 bayonet he has?

[Badger]

Graeme has updated his article with additional pics of a "hard to find" spare parts bag, as well as a listing of what would be its standard contents ...

Regards,
Doug

[Badger]

Graeme has updated his article with some high quality replacement photos (Lewis gun crew in full uniform display), as well as rare new photos and research content, including information about drums and drum carriers. Also a high resolution photo montage of a special training aid principally used to teach the ‘lead’ required when firing on moving targets was introduced in to service. The photographed broad arrow stamped spotlight projector box shown, contains brackets for the Lewis gun, the SMLE, and the Bren gun along with a wiring loom with a button switch and trigger attachment.....

Regards,
Doug