Sterling L2A3 Wrinkle Finish Paint

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Originally Posted by bouletbill

made our summer camp near Folkstone more fun.

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St. Martins Plain?

As to the CCF. When I was at school, I went on a Cadet Armourers course. On the course it was drummed into us that we should never call "The SMG, L2A3" a Sterling. I found out years later that the Government was trying to avoid paying Sterling any Royalties for the "Sterlings" produced at the Royal Ordnance Factory. So no change there then! (The British Government has form for this.)

In later years, SMG and Sterling were used interchangeably and indiscriminately by us all.

Hi Beerhunter, we were camped at Shorncliffe, late 60's, is that near ?

I was not an armourer at that time but we all had fun blasting off a load of unofficial 9mm at Hythe ranges with our nice new 'Sterlings' which were not known by any other name (by us) and were all crinkle finish with full auto selectors..... Happy days.

Did Brit-Gov pay Royalties to Brno for our LMG or was it 'modified' enough to get them off the hook, like the Webley/Enfield pistol ?

Like I say, all Briitish military contract L2A3 guns were plain non crackle satin paint

And yes, Britain paid royalties on EVERY Bren they made PLUS every Bren made in Canada and Australia plus the tripods. Yep, even throughout the war too! We even paid for every change in spec too.

They simply flatly refused to pay royalties to Webley and tried the same 'sue-us-if-you-dare ploy with the Fazakerley UF made Sterlings. They did - and won!

Wot ??? do you mean we were paying royalties to Nazi occupied Brno ?. . . . Later to be Russian occupied Brno.

I remember our Sterlings intimately. I can't explain the discrepancy but I do know they were not supposed to be used.

During the war, we paid the Bren royalties into a UK bank. As did Canada (who built them under licence to us because Inglis was a private manufacturing agency) and as did Australia who DID build them, under the same agreed licence at a Govt. Ordnance factory.

Once the war was going hammer and tongs, we did vary production without a second thought and the only thing that was a sticking block that I can uncover, was the use of a UK BA thread for the Mk2 folded foresight protector

Incredibly, Singer were STILL making and exporting sewing machines to Nazi Germany, via neutral Spain (although some say it was Portugal.....) until early 1941