Intermediate Enfield Brens
BREN GUN ‘intermediates’
A couple of forumers picked up on the fact that we’d used the term ‘intermediates’ when we were discussing the Enfield made Bren fitted with a new gas cylinder (ouch…., there’s a job and a half….) and afterwards superbly restored by BDL. Well, the intermediate tag is to indicate a Bren that is in the intermediate stage of jumping from a true, original and rare Mk1 to a cheapened wartime production gun. I’ll explain. But if you have such a beast, outside the approximate serial number ranges I mention, then please let me know because these numbers and observations have been taken from about 1,000 or so Mk1 guns awaiting Ordnance destruction, DP guns awaiting the same fate and information culled from other dewat/deact Bren owners. And don’t forget, this information only relates to Enfield made Mk1 Brens
An early Enfield Bren Gun, from A0002 to D500 or so will be marked on the right hand side BREN Mk1 and be engraved on the magazine well ENFIELD over a CROWN over the date of 1937 or 38 or 39 or 40. If you have one of these, then you are VERY lucky because in the census of warlike stores taken in August 1940 when an invasion was imminent, of the 30,000 Brens manufactured to June 1940, only 2,700 remained in the UK. 300+ could be accounted for as having been sent elsewhere or brought back by the Infantry from France. The remainder were still in France. Read that again….. 27,000 or so were left in France…… give or take a few! There’s more to this though because expecting an eventual route, MANY thousands of Brens and light defence artillery 2 pounder anti-tank guns had been diverted to LeHarve and put onto the trooper Lancastria. She was effectively ambushed and sunk, taking the lot with her……………..
As a result of the Pilkington Committee for the simplification of small-arms, the Bren was to be shorn of all its superfluous extras. However, this was not as simple as it seems because some simplification, such as the ribbed gas cylinder acted as holding or datum points for other operations. But shorn of crap it was going to be………………. I am describing the most visible aspects of the simplification programme but inside other non critical machining operations were deleted too.
1st stage intermediates started at approx D-5000. The detailed engraving on the left side was eliminated and now, the only engraving was to be Mk1 over the letters EFD over the date 1940. The last of the 1st stage intermediates ended at about E-2400 or thereabouts
2nd stage intermediates started at about E-2400. Now, the rounded rear top edges of the body that gave the early Brens that sporty contoured appearance were deleted. Now they were left square and functional. The 2nd stage seems to blurr into the ………..
3rd stage intermediates. Now, up until the E-3200 approx serial number, the engraved logo of Mk1/EFD/1940 is moved to the left hand side between the two sight dovetails. The reason for this has been explained previously but simplification and speed were the name of the game. We know that this was implemented in Sept 1940.
4th stage intermediates start at about serial number E-3200 and until approx F-1000, the radiussed rounded contour that follows the profile of the magazine catch has been left square, with a milling cut straight across the back.
For the first time here we notice a change of external tooling from a vertical milling profile cutter to a horizontal milling cut straight across the back. Whereas leaving the rounded body sides square in the 2nd stage guns or omitting the magazine well recesses meant simply deleting a whole machining operation. You will see that all E- serially numbered guns are intermediates and dated 1940
5th stage intermediates start from approx F-1000 and now, the front dovetail is eliminated from production. These 5th stage guns end the year 1940 and continue into 1941
6th stage intermediates continue from guns in the F-4xxx serial number range and now, the strengthening web on the right hand side of the magazine well is deleted from production and the troublesome dish shaped gas blast shield at the front of the gun is left flat.
The only vestige of the old original Mk1 gun now remaining is the fluted-for-cooling machined external profile of the gas cylinder. This remained for another month or so until new jig fixtures could be made to replace those that held this part of the gun body. Once the gas cylinder was changed for the familiar ‘D’ on-its-back profile, the mighty Bren remained a Bren Mk1 but the body then became known as the Mk1A. But under the skin, the Bren was still the same old MIGHTY Bren
If you can close up or even OPEN up any of those serial number ranges, please feel free
