Book: The Lanchester Machine Carbine: A Collector’s Guide

[peregrinvs]

May be of interest. Published by the Vickers MG Association:

The Lanchester Machine Carbine: A Collector Research Association

[Peter Laidler]

Mmmmmmmm. Before I buy a copy, anyone got any comments about it?

[Flying10uk]

anyone got any comments about it?

It's only £10.

[peregrinvs]

Received my copy today and well worth £10 if you’re interested in the Lanchester. I’ve had a quick flick through and it is well detailed and illustrated. I was pleased to discover the stripping tool sold to me back in 2014 as being for the Lanchester (I wasn’t sure) is indeed for the Lanchester.

It would have benefited from a bit more proof reading though: on various occasions Sterling is rendered as ‘Stirling’.

[Peter Laidler]

Ordered one. Let's see just how little I knew.....

Stripping tool.... The only one I knew of was what we called a 'barrel key', used to unscrew the barrels from the navy inshore patrol boats that were corroded in! I can't think of anything else except a screwdriver. The barrel key was a two pronged thing, which as I recall it, was made from two SLR piston ends welded into a flat plate.

Yep, got the book and it is indeed a font of much knowledge. Nothing too out of the previously unknown but a good little contribution.

Chile and Portugal were large buyers of the available spare Lanchester parts. Alas, the last barrels were used/converted for use in the initial 6,000 Sterling guns. James said that it was strange that Portugal wanted spare parts for Lanchesters......., since the Portugese Marines already purchased Mk4 Sterlings! Incidentally, the Portugese Marine Sterlings were marked along the left butt strap SERIAL NUMBER MARINHA PORTUGESA if you ever see one. Sorry about the spelling.... unclearly written on a beer-mat after a bit of lunch in Oxford some time ago!

There was also a GAUGE, testing, straightness of bore' for the Lanchester. apparently It seems that these straight 'drop' gauges were issued to RN et al small-arms 'maintainers' who weren't trained as such, beyond simple maintenance of the stuff. A bit like our National Service cooks who we referred to as 'fitters and turners'

[Peter Laidler]

One of the constant problems we faced with them was the three screws that held the body catch down to the wood. Always stripped the wood threads so regardless of whether they were stripped or not, they'd always be drilled out 1/4" plus or so and a hardwood dowel (made of meranti ?) would be glued and knocked in place. That solved the problem. To be honest, as a Base workshops, Armourers were called in from outlying units across Malaya and Borneo to assist with this WORP/CA (War Office Repair Programme or Crown Agents) type work. So while we dealt with thousands of Sterings and Stens over the years, we only dealt with hundreds of Lanchesters....., relatively few!. But good experience for the Aust and NZ Armourers amongst us. I wonder where likeable Graham Stewart is now...... The Out Inspector would stamp the side of the butt with the usual 40 BW-S and date code

[browningautorifle]

So while we dealt with thousands of Sterings and Stens over the years, we only dealt with hundreds of Lanchesters....., relatively few!

I still remember seeing a Turk soldier carry one across his back, brass fitting gleaming in the desert sun outside Nicosia. It was the only one I saw among the forest of Sten, Thompson, so on.

[Peter Laidler]

They mention the fact that the Turkish had Lanchesters in the book - and the seemingly poor quality of their supposedly made fore-ends. From my experience, the quality of some of the UK made/supplied woodwork was pretty poor! Patching splits and butts was common too. We standardiosed where we coupd. As we didn't have No1 rifle butt plates and swivels we'd use No4 stuff and on the front/top sling swivel we used the two-part/brazed Sterling end cap sling loop.

They always looked good after they'd gone through the Base Workshops but we knew that as soon as they went back onto the inshore and sea-going patrol boats they'd start to deteriorate. I still have one of the Lanchester GAUGE, straightness of bore here! Not that you could ever bend the bore!