zimbabwe bren

I have just returned from a 3 week visit to Zimbabwe. While driving through Gweru, a city in the Midlands, I saw a small sign that said"Military Museum". Off I went. There were a number of interesting exhibits, but unfortunately, a lot were mis-labelled. The quality of vehicles outside was poor. I guess in a country where they can't even feed themselves, having high quality museums is not a priority. Anyway, here is a picture of a Bren in the WWII display. The backdrop shows 2 rhodesian soldiers with an FN & MAG from the 70's bush war!
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...3/5nvepu-1.jpg

Notice the firer of the mag is holding it like a pair of spade grips. Is that JohnR's uniform shirt in the corner of the shot? Goodness knows he left enough stuff behind in that continent!

I think that the backdrop print was flipped when they printed it. the MAG belt feed should be on the left. If that is so,what you see is the gunners left hand supporting the butt, right hand obscured. the rifleman would then be holding his FN in his right hand, & talking on the radio with his left.

It's an early Bren too, with the reinforcing rib on the right hand side of the mag housing

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

It's an early Bren too, with the reinforcing rib on the right hand side of the mag housing

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Its got the full mk1 spec, and a butt plate with the spoon attacment left on. I would like to have a look at this one but I dont think I'll be over there very soon. Oman, by the way is very hot at the moment!

Is that bits from a flame thrower or a mine detector leaning against the wall on the left ?

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

Notice the firer of the mag is holding it like a pair of spade grips. Is that JohnR's uniform shirt in the corner of the shot? Goodness knows he left enough stuff behind in that continent!

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Actually Squire you couldn't be MORE wrong.I had 18 sets of camouflage denims in my barracks box when I finally came home to Canada in 1978.

Shortly thereafter (like my second weekend back home) I attended my first gun show here in Vancouver.That was followed by the GREAT WESTERN in LA and having seen the interest amongst the WALTER MITTY element(you know,the dorks who just HAVE TO go to gun shows dressed up in Cammies) in ANYTHING Rhodesian I sold all but one brand new set of shirt and trousers to these guys FOR US$250 a set barbed wire holes in the butt notwithstanding.

That little"War Museum" in what used to be GWELO was run by a pretty nice old guy and trust me the photos and drawings in the exhibits did NOT show African Soldiers either.

I also managed to return home to the"Great White North" with a pair of Chinese Type 56 SKS-45's and a few other bits and pieces as well as myself MOSTLY intact which was ALL I really cared about.I still LAUGH about all those guys paying TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS for a set of WELL USED cammies and showing YET AGAIN that old PT Barnum was WRONG.IT MUST BE AT LEAST FOUR EVERY MINUTE !!

Work beckons me here.

Cheers,

JR

Cheers J.R. I'll see you at the Calgary show??? Yes Rob it's a mine detector.

The muntus are attempting to be PC.Only pictures show AFRICAN Troops and the shirt with the BLACK BUTTONS would have been Rhodesian African Rifles issue.GOOD SOLDIERS and well led.ALL Matebeles too who DETESTED Shonas so I don't envy them their fate post Madgrabes so called"Victory".In actual fact it was the black loving "Kaffirboeties" in London who put Old thieving MUGS in power.He and his scumbag"freedom fighters" never won a fight let alone a battle.

Just like LONDON guaranteed the whites RIGHT to own and posess PROPERTY and when ol Madgrabe and his thieving cohorts started stealing all the good farms London FORGOT all about their"Guarantee"!!So much for the value of any "GUARANTEE" by the British Government, Lieberal kaffir loving swine that they all are.

All you see now are little children orphaned by AIDS who are so starved they look like Auschwitz survivors.FORTY-SIX pct of adult Zimbabweans are HIV+.Google Mugabe's PALACE just outside Salisbury if you want to be SICK.Even the Queen of England doesn't live in such opulent digs !!

It is said that S-Africa will be Zimbabwe in 15 years time.

As a matter of interest JohnR. I found 3 or 4 beautifully painted shields, about 2 feet tall approx, all bearing the hand painted crests/badges of the Rhodesian Army regiments, stashed under the stage at Warminster. Presumably taken down in a fit of pique in the late 60's. I took them into the workshop, cleaned and polished them and they are now discreetly displayed, together in a small pride of place in the Small Arms School. They include the RLI, RAfrican Rifles Royal Rhodesia Regt and a Territorial regt too

a little off topic, but another picture from the Zimbabwe trip, again the museum in Gweru. Top is the cz24 SMG, bottom is the belgian Vigneron SMG. A co-worker, back in the day, had one of these. used a sten mag, I believe. he was in special forces, and on callups worked with the MNR in Mozambique. He was a handy guy to have around-organized a couple of 82 mm chinese mortars to defend our compound during the ceasefire/election period.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../16k8eo6-1.jpg

Peter, re: rhodesian shields, not everyone was PC. 22 SAS still don't have a C squadron