1889 Belgian rifle

[A. F Medic]

Made in Belgium, rearsenaled in Birmingham England by Belgium ex-patriots.






Looks like a GEW 88..






arsenal markings..

Information

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[Jim K]

Please pardon the nitpick, but I think you mean "expatriates" (people who are living outside their own country) rather than ex-patriots (people who were formerly patriots but who have rejected their country).

Jim

[A. F Medic]

Yes. Expatriates. They left Belgium when the Germans took over their country in WWl. They took their machinery skills and arsenal machines and settled in England. Supporting their fight against Germany from England. That is what I was able to find far. Anything extra would be appreciated.

[Jim K]

I have also read that, and am more than a little doubtful. While the Belgians might have taken themselves and their skills to England, I doubt they took any significant amount of machinery. Liege is less than 20 miles from the German border; IIRC, the invasion began on 4 August and the Germans reached Liege on the 5th. The vaunted forts of Liege held out for a while (the last surrendered on 16 August after being bombarded by the 42cm Krupp cannon known as "Big Bertha"), but they were not a continuous line and the Germans surrounded and actually entered the city several days earlier. Given the state of confusion and the near impossibility of movement, I doubt machines of any size could have been removed, loaded, and transported to the ports in the interval.

Jim

[A. F Medic]

Very possible!.. Maybe some of our English members can jump in here since all the "action" was to have happened in Birmingham.