Britain In 1940 (Evacuation at Dunkirk)

[usabaker]

I was reading a few 1976 THE AMERICAN RIFLEMAN issues looking for the article on making 45 ACP Shotshells and ran across this interesting article in the "Dope Bag" a user comment section and thought some here might find it interesting.

------------------------------------------------------

Britain In 1940
Birmingham, England
Editor:
May I add a little to your article on Britain in 1940?

I cannot remember exactly how soon after the evacuation at Dunkirk, but it could only have been a matter of a few days when we received a telephone call from the City Police. Within a few hours, we must accumulate all our stock of rifles, guns and ammunition (except cal. .22) to be collected. Within a matter of two or three hours, the Army arrived with their vehicles. We tried to take accurate records, but the speed of the operation made it impossible.

Guns were all the same to the Army, whether they were service rifles or Purdey shotguns. All were grabbed and slung shoulder-wise into the trucks. One old Birmingham gun maker wept when he saw his be loved guns treated in this Way. We were told that arms and ammunition
from gunsmiths' stocks were to be stored in the Town Hall. Our Army had lost their at weapons Dunkirk, and our newly formed Home Guard was virtually unarmed. We hoped our motley collection would be put to use, but it seemed the real intention was to put them out of reach of the enemy. I think I am right in saying no legislation existed at the time allowing the Police or government to take weapons forcibly from registered dealers. The Emergency Powers act came later. However, panic ruled.

A few days later we received a large consignment of .303 rifles which had been in transit and thereby. missed the requisition. These were supplied to factory Home Guard units who formed units at their own expense.

America's generosity was short to provide us with 1917 Enfield Rifles for OUr Home Guard although some misinformed official at the War Office called them Ross rifles. It took years to correct that impression. I hope Major Hession's generosity also in sending his rifles would have been well
rewarded had we been in that desperate situation. (See "The Rifle That Came Home From The War," p. 10, The American Rifleman, Feb., 1975)
I do not remember having heard of the "Civilian Committee for the Protection of Homes, Birmingham in 1940." Our Firearms Act was still in force.

The ordinary civilian was quite ignorant of firearms and the raw Home Guard was being trained by ex-Army and Rifle Club members. Well, we could always have used pitchforks.

-Miss E. R. Parker
(An NRA Member, Miss Parker is now Mallaging Director of Alfred 1. Parker,
Ltd., manufacturers of small arms in Birmingham, England.-Editor)

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.