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Does anyone know when the RAF Regiment "officially" received the No4 rifle, please? My understanding was that they retained the SMLE for longer than the British
army but I don't know if they retained them "officially" until after the end of WW2. The above picture may indicate that the change-over happened after WW2? You do occasionally see 1907 bayonets for sale on the surplus market with apparent RAF markings on them.
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10-02-2017 03:08 PM
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Originally Posted by
TomH
Donitz and his staff were apparently arrested by an RAF Regiment Task Force at his headquarters and then handed over to the King's Shropshire Light Infantry. So a photo/film at the time of the handover may well have had RAF Regiment with No1 MKIII's and KSLI's with No4's.
Very likely. Not easy to see the shoulder flashes of the guys with the SMLE's, but RAF Regt. does seem likely. The officer kneeling down searching clearly has KSLI shoulder flashes, so it does tally.
---------- Post added at 12:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:16 AM ----------
Originally Posted by
Flying10uk
Does anyone know when the RAF Regiment "officially" received the No4 rifle, please? My understanding was that they retained the SMLE for longer than the
British army but I don't know if they retained them "officially" until after the end of WW2.
As did the RN as well IIRC (along with using 08 webbing as well)
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The RAF in Malaya and Singapore had No4 rifles .38 Webleys and Mk2 Sten guns right up until they left in early '70 As did the RN. No4's and Lanchesters plus Enfields and Webleys
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Thank You to Peter Laidler For This Useful Post:
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I recall the guys I joined up with in 1974 telling me stories about the reserves, watching the Sten guns being destroyed out of the armories in the previous few years. That would make it the beginning of the '70's.
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Thank You to browningautorifle For This Useful Post:
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Besides which those nice long 1907 bayonets were so familiar to Jerry by 1945 that it must have almost made the altefrontkampfer feel nostalgic to see them. 
The spike has a certain nastiness about it, but not quite the visual impact of a well polished 1907.
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