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  1. #1
    Contributing Member Flying10uk's Avatar
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    Chindits Bren Mags

    At a militaria fair yesterday I came across a stall that had, amongst other things, used Bren mags for sale and these were neatly arranged into 2 small piles. You had the option to purchase "normal" Bren mags @ £5 or £6 each or the "Chindits version" @ £10 each. What constitutes a "Chindits version" I hear everyone asking??? According to the stall-holder the fact the fact that the mag is painted green = it must have seen service with the Chindits against the Japaneseicon during WW2. Presumably that is why he was asking a highly inflated price for his green painted Bren mags.

    I have seen plenty of painted Bren mags for sale before but this is the first time that I have actually seen anyone trying to promote the painted examples as being much more desirable than the non painted ones.
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    Peter Laidler's Avatar
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    The trouble is that if you kindly point it out that painting them khaki was an approved method of rust proofing MOST weapon parts during the war, AND the fact that there is an EMER (or the wartime equivalent) authorising it AND specifying the paint spec to be used, they tell you that they're fed up with bit-part amateurs telling them their job. Yep, it's true!

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    Advisory Panel browningautorifle's Avatar
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    We seem to myth bust this stuff every couple days...
    Regards, Jim

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    Legacy Member peregrinvs's Avatar
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    Sounds like the green painted Bren mag I bought off a stall at the War & Peace show a couple of years ago for £10 which the dealer described as 'Chindit'...

    ...he hadn't noticed it was an unmodified Mk1.
    Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night;
    God said "Let Newton be!" and all was light.

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    Contributing Member Flying10uk's Avatar
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    Peter, was the painting of weapon parts only approved if the weapon or part was being sent to certain parts of the world? What seemed silly to me was that there was no telling where the mags had been or what use they had been put to. Even if they had been to the Far East who's to know that they didn't spend the war stuck on an airfield somewhere or in a Quartermaster's stores?

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    Nope, just an instruction to be followed due to the exigencies at the time and shortage of the chemicals used then. They could have been used anywhere! Chindits........ where do they get these people?

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    Legacy Member tankhunter's Avatar
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    I have a tartan painted Mag, that was used exclusively by 'The Devil's in Skirt's Brigade'.
    A once in a lifetime acquirement!
    I bought it from a Bloke down the pub. He 'Assured' Me it was genuine & he got it from Prince Phillip. as 'Phil' was a drinking partner of his.
    I have no reason to doubt this, as I was Drunk myself at the time.............

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    Contributing Member mrclark303's Avatar
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    Quite right to be sceptical, now if each one was signed in felt tip pen by General Wingate, that would be different!

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    Quote Originally Posted by mrclark303 View Post
    General Wingate
    Never happen...didn't he do himself in? Maybe he saw this coming...
    Regards, Jim

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    Contributing Member Flying10uk's Avatar
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    When these stall holders tell me B.S. stories as justification for an inflated price for an item that they have for sale I don't get into an argument with them over it; I just keep a straight face and reply "oh yer/oh yes". I don't know if the stall-holder on Sunday actually thought that I believed his story but I do now regret not checking to see if any of his "Chindits mags" were in fact not MK1 because @ £10 each they would have been a bargain!

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