A WWII Armourer's shop photo.

[Surpmil]

Found this postcard dropped into my copy of Instructions for Armourers 1931, so here it is!

Information

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[42rocker]

See a lot of 1919a4 and some 50 cal stuff.

Interesting card.

Later 42rocker

[Alan de Enfield]

And for comparison a couple of WW1 Armourers shops :


Armourers in mobile 'Field Workshop'

Armourers at work in a 'Base Workshop' at Calais

Armourers of the 149th Bombing Squadron, St Omar July 1918

Candian Armourers Salisbury Plain - England

[Sapper740]

Canadian Armourers Salisbury Plain - England

That's an interesting picture of the Canadians working on Ross rifles and a bicycle, a scene not out of place in the late Nineties where Armourers, now called Weapons Techs would also be called upon to repair bicycles. Many bases had three wheeled tricycles for techs to get around and bicycles for exercise, all maintained by our Weapons techs.

[Alan de Enfield]

That's an interesting picture of the Canadians working on Ross rifles and a bicycle, a scene not out of place in the late Nineties where Armourers, now called Weapons Techs would also be called upon to repair bicycles. Many bases had three wheeled tricycles for techs to get around and bicycles for exercise, all maintained by our Weapons techs.

Source 'Instructions to Armourers 1912 (Reprinted with amendments 1916)'

Duties Of Armourers

Armourers will perform the following duties :-
a) Execute all repairs to the arms (including lances, pistols, swords, and scabbards) in possession of their respective units ; and perform any other work, within their capabilities, required to the equipment of their units, and repairs to helmets and chains, booby chains, lancer cap chains and the brasswork on the lancer cap. Execute repairs to bicycles as directed in paragraph 7.
b) Inspect :
a. Quarterly – All rifles, pistols, sword-bayonets and scabbards in use.
b. Monthly – All bicycles on charge.

In each case defects are to be made good and a brief report of the general result of the examination will be rendered to the Commanding Officer.

[Surpmil]

And for comparison a couple of WW1 Armourers shops :


Armourers in mobile 'Field Workshop'

Armourers at work in a 'Base Workshop' at Calais

Armourers of the 149th Bombing Squadron, St Omar July 1918

Candian Armourers Salisbury Plain - England

Notice the Gew98 Mauser among the others leaning on the bench. Another photo taken at the same time suggests it has a turned down bolt handle. Not surprising as no ordinary Gew98 would be brought in for overhaul.

Notice the three or more loose bolts on the bench in the second photo: salvaged from condemned or be refitted?

The RFC or RAF shop in the third photo is noteworthy as there you have a couple of pilots or observers in pick up their Lewis guns before a mission. It's been several times remarked on that some of the leading aces/gunners took a very close interest in the maintenance of their guns and ammunition.

And in the fourth photo the bloke with his muzzle in the dirt has one of those wrist watches with a leather cover; not typical equipment for ORs at the time. The portable armourer's chest with the removable pipe legs is also in the first photo, both on the ground and set up on the right side of the photo.

[42rocker]

Nice postcard group.

Later 42rocker

[Flying10uk]

On the first postcard, post 1, there are 2 open top, half round tanks that look as if they may have been made from an oil drum, cut in half, and turned on it's side. Do these likely contain oil or water for general quenching purposes or do they have a more specific purpose?

[browningautorifle]

half round tanks that look as if they may have been made from an oil drum, cut in half,

We commonly had those for solvent baths way before there was any thoughts of petroleum poisoning...just a solvent bath of gas and oil...dip into it with bare hands.

[CINDERS]

Good selection of pistols for aircrew many a pilot shot themselves rather than being burned to death or impacting the ground as in the early days it was considered unmanly to parachute from ones burning aircraft.
Such was the logic in the WWI airwar.