RCN using both the SMLE & No.4 rifles

[x westie]

http://www.airmuseum.ca/rcn/robert04.html


I thought my fellow Milsurp fans might enjoy these very interesting photos of a Naval Landing Group from HMCS Prince Robert at Hong Kong-1945, and dealing with the surrender of the Japanese.

If you scroll down the photo's you can see the Navy with both SMLE & No.4 rifles, also a Petty Officer with a Sten Gun slung, and pointing his revolver at a Japanese officer, not too sure about the revolver, could be a S&W or Webley.

Click on the photos to enlarge them, they are very clear photos

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[stryker]

Very interesting. Thanks very much for the photos.

[browningautorifle]

I'm thinking Webley or Enfield pistol. I zoomed in but it's still a guess. Just a square ugly barrel makes me think one of them. I find the US K-Bar with fiber scabbard on his hip interesting.

[x westie]

Good eye..!, you are right the revolver does have a square barrel,..might be a Webley.455, that Canada aquired from WW1, I think we can assume the US K Bar was traded from some Yank in exchange for a bottle of rum or whiskey,..being that US ships were "Dry"..LOL

[Peter Laidler]

Bottom pic, looks like a Lanchester with sailor on left side of the car

[x westie]

From what i can see, the ships armory held perhaps 25 SMLE rifles, a few Lanchester smg's, and some revolvers for officers,..a larger number of the ships company would be landing to disarm the Japanese,...more rifles were needed, so No.4 rifles were acquired & issued to the ships company,..it would be interesting if these No.4 rifles were acquired in BC, at Esquimalt, before sailing to the Far East.

[browningautorifle]

In the pic with sten, pistol and K-Bar the Jap officer's not carrying a Katana, but the OTHER type of sword. The standard type of basket is present. A bit odd, you don't see them as much as Katana.

[Mag Fed]

Thanks...very interesting pics !

[Bruce_in_Oz]

The sword on the Japanese chap looks a bit like a Brit. infantry sword; not as curved as a cavalry sabre or naval cutlass.

The Japanese often went to war with "family" blades re-gripped with mil-spec handles and "Tsubas" (the little round guard). I have seen one Katana here in Brisbane that seems to be a private/family blade fitted with a LONG (two-handed) cutlass-type basket and carried in a steel sheath; very odd-looking. The Japanese churned out zillions of "issue" swords and knives, but the "family" Katana blades can usually be identified by the quality and pattern of the "Hamon", (the heat-treatment of the cutting edge) and the type and content of the characters stamped into the "Nakago" (tang). Really fancy ones have two "Hi" (fullers) which, apart from their lightening/strengthening function, also whistle when the blade is swung quickly. When the operator hears the two tones evenly, it means that the blade is travelling through the air at a suitable speed and, more importantly, at the correct "slicing" angle.

[x westie]

That little Jap's sword isn't much used to him, with a revolver pointed at him, almost makes me think that the Petty Officer is demanding he drop the sword, and has his revolver to get to get his message through to the Jap....