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    Legacy Member Vincent's Avatar
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    The Sad Story of Singer and the Sten

    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Laidlericon View Post
    One day I'll relate the whole sad story of Singer, when told that they were going to tool up to make Sten guns. Talk about throwing their toys out of the pram..........
    OK, Peter. You have piqued our interest. Inquiring minds want to hear the story….. please.
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    A Collector's View - The SMLE Short Magazine Lee Enfield 1903-1989. It is 300 8.5x11 inch pages with 1,000+ photo’s, most in color, and each book is serial-numbered.  Covering the SMLE from 1903 to the end of production in India in 1989 it looks at how each model differs and manufacturer differences from a collecting point of view along with the major accessories that could be attached to the rifle. For the record this is not a moneymaker, I hope just to break even, eventually, at $80/book plus shipping.  In the USA shipping is $5.00 for media mail.  I will accept PayPal, Zelle, MO and good old checks (and cash if you want to stop by for a tour!).  CLICK BANNER to send me a PM for International pricing and shipping. Manufacturer of various vintage rifle scopes for the 1903 such as our M73G4 (reproduction of the Weaver 330C) and Malcolm 8X Gen II (Unertl reproduction). Several of our scopes are used in the CMP Vintage Sniper competition on top of 1903 rifles. Brian Dick ... BDL Ltd. - Specializing in British and Commonwealth weapons Specializing in premium ammunition and reloading components. Your source for the finest in High Power Competition Gear. Here at T-bones Shipwrighting we specialise in vintage service rifle: re-barrelling, bedding, repairs, modifications and accurizing. We also provide importation services for firearms, parts and weapons, for both private or commercial businesses.
     

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    Ah, yes..... Singer Sewing Machines... In Feb '41 it was decided to put production of the Sten with Singer in Glasgow, out of bombing range. They were also a facility that had the precision machinery and facilities to make the whole thing, in-house. But when Singer heard about this they stamped their feet, threw Teddy in the corner and replied that they were a US company, not in the war and were staying out of it. In short they were having none of this unpleasantness knocking at their door. While Singer management weren't having it, the UKicon Government WERE having it - their way! It also transpired that even then, Singer were STILL selling their industrial machines to Germanyicon via Portugal(?). The cheek of it!

    This fact reached the Cabinet Office. I expect that there was a degree of anger and table thumping for a few milliseconds. It was then decided that the Singer Sewing Machine Co might be wholly owned US Company - but not for long! Because at 1200hrs the following day they were to be nationalised and would be dictated war-work and would do as they were ordered or go to prison, like anyone else.

    The rest is history. They virtually ceased production of sewing machines (except for war requirement work) and set about Mk1 Sten Gun manufacture totally in house, including the wood parts. Thereafter they contributed a vast amount to wartime weapon production. In a way, by nationalising the place and removing the top layer or managers meant everyone was happy

    When Turpin was developing the very same gun, he went to the Phillips Radio Co along the A40 in West London to use their facilities. A Dutch Company - another wholly owned foreign Company - who'd just been overrun by the same nation that Singer had initially refused to help defeat. War makes strange chums!

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    Peter--

    Same thing happen to Smith & Wesson in WWI. Smith & Wesson refused to give the S&W Model of 1917 .45ACP Revolver priority over there other products which they were selling around the world. Simply the US Government took over the company. The company was defacto a subdivision of the Springfield Armory. While under US government control the US Army Ordnance produced so much spare parts which last them through WWII. It is said S&W actual purchase US Army spare parts in order to complete the second Brazilianicon contract for their Model 1937 .45ACP revolver. If you have one of these second series Brazilian revolvers you can look closely to some of the parts and see WWI US government inspector marks (small eagle).

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    Singer also had factories in Wittenberge, Prussia and Podolsk, south of Moscow. Both were also nationalized and used for war production.

    After WW2 the Wittenberge factory was in East Germanyicon, under Russianicon control. They took all the machinery from the Wittenberge factory as “war reparations” and used it to reequip their Podolsk factory.

    The Singer factory at Kilbowie, Clydebank, also made munitions in WW1. But I don’t know if it had been nationalized then. It was a large factory, employing 15,000 workers at one time and had its own foundry. Converting it to produce large quantities of war material wouldn’t have been difficult. They had the equipment and trained workers.

    I’ve never handled a Mk1 or Mk1* Sten. From looking at pictures it looks to me like the magazine housing is riveted to the casing. Is that correct? Is it also brazed or silver soldered on?

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    I would imagine that the mag housing was soft soldered and rivetted on. It wasn't a wise move to make small arms in Jockland. It might have been (initially) out of bombing range - but it wasn't for long! After the war and well into the 80's, Sten guns and Albion made .38 revolvers were common tools of Glasgow gangland ner-do-wells. Maybe production couldn't keep up with those weapons being er..........., diverted elsewhere or siphoned off as they used to describe the aid going into Bosnia!

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    Someone once told me that the reason Packard made the Rolls Royce Merlin engine in the U.S. is because Henry Ford refused permission for it to be made in his U.S. factories. I don't know if there is any truth in this and perhaps others could confirm or correct this, please. Ford U.K. certainly did produce the Merlin engine in it's Britishicon factories, in large numbers, and to a very high standard.

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    It’s a true story. Before the US entered the war Edsel Ford agreed to make the engines. However, he was overruled by his farther Henry Ford, who was opposed to the US entering WW2. At the time Ford’s Germanicon subsidiary, Ford-Werke, in Cologne was doing business with the Nazis. Henry Ford later reversed his position and Ford produced a large amount or war material. At its peak production the Ypsilanti Michigan, Willow Run plant turned out a B-24 bomber every 63 minutes.

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    Here in Deutschland, it is generally believed that US made precision bomb sights were still being delivered to the Reich, even AFTER the US declared war on Germanyicon. And aerial photography depicts US owned production facilities in the Ruhr having been carefully excluded from carpet bombing.

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    My long time friend and wartime Lancaster pilot Fl Lt Leslie Barham told me that his crew (of Canadians, Australians and a lone NZicon'er) idea of precision bombing was to hit anywhere in the city that was or close to their target. Rhinemettal meant hitting Dusseldorf. Krupp meant hitting Essen - anywhere! Share and share alike was their aircraft motto

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    I know it sounds odd and funny but I believe that I am correct in stating that the USAicon did NOT declare war on Germanyicon only on Japanicon. It was Germany under the direction of Hitler that declared war on the USA for some inexplicable reason.

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