Good idea............

One of the earliest pictures issued of the 'new' Bren for the British Army in 1937 shows a Bren in its chest, properly packed with the kit. What was spectacular was the fact that the front of the chest had been cut away and replaced with a sheet of perspex. Where necessary, the internal wooden chocks etc. had been screwed to the perspex. It looked pretty impressive. So impressive in fact that I re-created a latter day version of it at Warminster to display a crated Bren.

Seems like a good way of keeping the gun crated and on display too. Mind you, only a good (?) idea if you've got a Bren chest and they seem to be creeping up in price too!

Does it warrant a thread photo when I can get around to it?

Absolutely ... :thup:

You guys have me so interested in this old girl now that I may have to go out and buy one, even a decent deactivated one, which is all this awful Canadian government gun control legislation would let me own ...

I'll have to post my story about the Bren on here when I get chance. I actually started my original military training back in the early 60's qualifying on the Bren Gun. Really enjoyed shooting her .. :thup:

It was long though before they came along and switched us over to the FNC2 as a replacement, along with the Sterling SMG which they used to reaplce the Sten Guns we trained on. :lol:

Regards,
Badger

As a matter of interest, what does a deact/dewat/demil Bren have to comform to in Canada to be a deact?

Yes, please post a picture of the "display" chest. Also... do you have any information about the bright orange primer/paint found on the inside surfaces of many surviving chests and barrel crates? And while we're on the subject of Bren crates... where did all of the chest cleaning rods go?

How many cleaning rods would you like? They are the same as the Vickers and Lewis rods as far as i know. I've got plenty of Canadian made ones marked HWC in an oval. The same company that made rear sights for the Ross rifle! Email me directly off forum if you want one. Brian

All I know about the chests was that in the UK, they were made by Elliots of Newbury who also made Horsa Gliders and that they were made in 'KD' form. I put a letter in the local paper there and got a great reply from a young lad who operated the wood cutting dovetailing machine who told me that KD form meant 'knocked down' as in made as tops, bottoms, ends and sides, complete with the internal fittings and all painted up internally, but another company assembled them up.

The bloke also told me that he didn't actually know what the boxes were! But once he was called up for national service he soon learned!

I suppose the orange paint was just a wood preserver sort of stuff. It obviously worked because they seem to have lasted so long. It shoudn't be hard to match up

I'll photograph the Warminster box when I get a chance.....................

Just had a bit of a clearout on the transit chests as I just haven't got the room.One of them was a 1940 UK made chest by Beautility Ltd (Furniture)
Shame to see it go.

While on the subject of transit chests a Canadian collectors transit chest has a typed CES attached to the lid which has the the bipod clip listed....never seen that listed before.

ATB Kevin

I guesss that there'd be loads of different makers for the chests, The Elliots (of Newbury) chests have an EON 1944 logo on the end.

[Seems like a good way of keeping the gun crated and on display too. Mind you, only a good (?) idea if you've got a Bren chest and they seem to be creeping up in price too!

Peter, The reason they are going up in price I think is this.
I know well, A number Of Sec.5 Dealers in the UK.
When they bought in Brens complete at 25-45 at a time. That was a LOT of storage space used up! Some dont have that sort of space available!
So the guns were removed from aforementioned chests. All accessories too. Spare barrels were cut up or, (When you could at the time) exported to the US as spares for shooters. The guns were Deacted, SPW's sold off seperately & the chests were Dumped or more usually Burned! At the time, a lot of collectors did NOT actually want those chests, hence they were worthless & only took up valuable space. NOW, trends have changed & they ARE collectable! Hence demand & supply will never catch up!

Guilty as charged your honour. I remember back in the day having pallets of empty bren boxes nobody wanted.When we had de'acted the guns the boxes were left behind here because there was'nt much intrest in them they took up too much room so we had to dispose of them.Did not like doing it but there was no call for them funny how things change.A gallon of diesel made sure work of them.They were all from the australian batch that came in.OH DEAR.

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Originally Posted by ZGB

Guilty as charged your honour. I remember back in the day having pallets of empty bren boxes nobody wanted.When we had de'acted the guns the boxes were left behind here because there was'nt much intrest in them they took up too much room so we had to dispose of them.Did not like doing it but there was no call for them funny how things change.A gallon of diesel made sure work of them.They were all from the australian batch that came in.OH DEAR.

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Yes, they burn very well, dont they?
I think it's all the old Gun oil that has soaked into the wood over the years!
Used to burn hundereds of No.4 & SLR Rifle Butts too in service!
Great on Non Tac Exercises for Barbies!
We now would consider this behaviour Sacralidge!! :yikes:

I managed to rescue some of the chests for my bren collection but again theres only so much room to keep them.They still smell of the australian preservative grease and it gets stronger the warmer the days get slightly pervy i know but a nice smell all the same.

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Originally Posted by ZGB

I managed to rescue some of the chests for my bren collection but again theres only so much room to keep them.They still smell of the australian preservative grease and it gets stronger the warmer the days get slightly pervy i know but a nice smell all the same.

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Yes, I know just what you mean. I love the smell of Youngs 303 Gun Oil.
I would wear it as after shave If I could get away with it!......:super:

Just an add. When the first No4 Mk1T's were converted from the trials rifles, someone forgot they also needed transit chests. OOPS! So Bren transit chests were converted until the proper ones became available.

I did get a laugh about those spare barrels being called "lethal barrels" by the plod. I suppose if you used one as a club, it could be called lethal.
There was a bookstore in , I believe, Birmingham where they had a de-acted Bren in the window. However they also had the canvas spares kit which they were using as a doorstop in the summer, and HORRORS:eek: the barrel in it was unbuggered. Some twit reported that to the police.

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Originally Posted by John Sukey

Just an add. When the first No4 Mk1T's were
I did get a laugh about those spare barrels being called "lethal barrels" by the plod. I suppose if you used one as a club, it could be called lethal.
There was a bookstore in , I believe, Birmingham where they had a de-acted Bren in the window. However they also had the canvas spares kit which they were using as a doorstop in the summer, and HORRORS:eek: the barrel in it was unbuggered. Some twit reported that to the police.

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Yes, there will always be one idiot who has to overreact! Ill bet the poor old Bookseller got prosecuted for sure! Ignorance of the Law is no excuse Etc etc! Was it REALLY in the Public interest to prosecute a guy running a shop & using his inistiative to make a window display to encourage potential book buyers to come in a browse! The Plod could have taken it away for destruction, & given the guy a verbal warning & that would be that. If the complainant had just have had a word with the bookshop owner, Im sure it would have been removed & destroyed or handed in by him!...:(

Oh how times have changed on both sides (of the Atlantic). The general directions of things seems to be that the civilians, after their vote of confidence to put officials in appointment, then turn around and pass laws that basically seem to strip us of individual freedoms and dignity. Common Sense approach seems to be running at a premium. Much like transit chests, very few seem to posses them.

Still will love to see a plexi sided Bren case!

I recall just a scant decade ago, they were sold at the proverbial "Dime a Dozen" level. Sorry Woolworths. Why didn't I buy more!? Oh yeah, the wife didn't like me creating block house hoochies in her spare room.

I recall just a scant decade ago, they were sold at the proverbial "Dime a Dozen" level. Sorry Woolworths. Why didn't I buy more!? Oh yeah, the wife didn't like me creating block house hoochies in her spare room.[/QUOTE]

And her problem with that was what, exactly?..................................:surrend er:

If only BABIES had the same physical dimensions as a Bren Gun! I could have added legs and made her a crib. :madsmile: