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And, there I was, flipping channels over a cup of coffee, when on comes a documentary about Torres Strait Islanders and, in this segment, about their relationship with the military, Australian
and otherwise. There in all their glory was a platoon? on parade, and ALL the front rank had No4 rifles. I suspect that this is another Australian War Memorial "official" picture and not just some random "happy snap".
I'll see what I can find via the AWM archives. origin of the photo and, perhaps, how many more were in the series taken by the photographer.
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11-09-2020 10:17 PM
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Here's a screen-grab from that docco ("Blue Water Empire") (attached JPEG file)
INTERESTING webbing.
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Thank You to Bruce_in_Oz For This Useful Post:
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By no means certain but they look like they could well be Savage produced rifles. Both have the really thick chunky nose cap band that Savage seem to have liked, & both look to have fabricated foresight protectors. I thought they might have been Trials rifles at first, but I'm pretty sure they're the Savage type fabricated sight protectors, having had a closer look.......
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Originally Posted by
Bruce_in_Oz
Here's a screen-grab from that docco ("Blue Water Empire") (attached JPEG file)
INTERESTING webbing.
And the set closest to the camera looks like it's had a few previous wearers of varying sizes.
Something locally made: leather Patt. 08?
Originally Posted by
mrclark303
Possibly via
New Zealand?
I believe NZ had a quantity of Lend lease Lb No4's.
There is a story about that the early LB No4s sent to NZ were a shipment intended for the Canadian battalions in the Hong Kong garrison which were diverted to NZ after the fall of Hong Kong on Christmas Day 1941.
From what we now know(?) about LB serials and production dates, perhaps we can shed some light on that story?
Last edited by Surpmil; 11-10-2020 at 11:25 AM.
“There are invisible rulers who control the destinies of millions. It is not generally realized to what extent the words and actions of our most influential public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating behind the scenes.”
Edward Bernays, 1928
Much changes, much remains the same. 
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You would have to be keen or desperate to use leather webbing on the Torres Straight islands
SERIOUSLY tropical part of the country, with high humidity most of the year. Note the uniforms; short(ish) trousers, (also known as "Bombay Bloomers") and short or rolled-up sleeves. Not exactly the guards a Buckingham Palace..
More on No4 shipments. One story doing the rounds is that a shipment bound for Singapore was diverted southwards when news of the Fall got around. Any takers?
Last edited by Bruce_in_Oz; 11-10-2020 at 04:18 PM.
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