Cut away L9A1

[Peter Laidler]

I did a fully skeletonised L9 pistol for the SASC at Warminster using the machinery in the old Bedford machinery truck. It replaced an old hotch-potch thing that never worked properly and was useless for anything. Because the people who did iin the 50's didn't realise that certain parts had to remain in contact throughout its recoil and run-out phases. It is still there. I did a lot of others too that were given away as presentation pieces

[Gil Boyd]

Amazing how you wish you had kept things after they had gone and the prices went through the roof.
I owned one the first Brens "skeletonised" for the 1938 Crystal Palace Exhibition which Peter L and I have spoken about in the dim distant past, where only 3 were ever done, and one of the three is at Warminster on display. I also had at the same time a "Skeletonised" L1A1. Both were fully open to view and really good jobs on both, done by whoever, probably apprentices at their respective times.
I sold them together with a load of other De-Ac kit for silly money just to get rid of them at the time..........................how sometimes you wish you had kept stuff. Where is that Crystal ball when you want one??

[mrclark303]

Amazing how you wish you had kept things after they had gone and the prices went through the roof.
I owned one the first Brens "skeletonised" for the 1938 Crystal Palace Exhibition which Peter L and I have spoken about in the dim distant past, where only 3 were ever done, and one of the three is at Warminster on display. I also had at the same time a "Skeletonised" L1A1. Both were fully open to view and really good jobs on both, done by whoever, probably apprentices at their respective times.
I sold them together with a load of other De-Ac kit for silly money just to get rid of them at the time..........................how sometimes you wish you had kept stuff. Where is that Crystal ball when you want one??

Here's the Bren, it passed my way after it left Gil, wonderful piece, but too much for me.... The L1 stayed with me as the pride of my non FAC collection...

Neither of us knew this until a few months back!

[Gil Boyd]

Nice touch as well John, that they had actually polished the metal to a high standard to make it stand out, but I suppose it was a sales pitch back then in 1938 to show the state of the art British Invention!!
Should have kept it on reflection

[Lee Enfield]

Here's the Bren, it passed my way after it left Gil, wonderful piece, but too much for me.... The L1 stayed with me as the pride of my non FAC collection...

Neither of us knew this until a few months back!

I'm afraid there has been a bit of a mix up - while the barrel is a MkI, the receiver body is a Mk3 - so the earliest that gun in the photo could be is late 1943/early 1944.

wrong photo perhaps?

[Gil Boyd]

Yes correctimondo, we were just testing you, and wanted to see who would spot it .

Yes it was for the EMPIRE EXHIBITION in 1948 not 38 as I stated earlier.

It is indeed a MK111 with a MK1 Barrel and rear leaf sight. Just found the paperwork for them.

It was one of only two made by the Apprentice Master at Enfield. It has no numbers on it at all as it was never intended to be a firearm, and produced in silver and only made for display purposes.
As stated earlier after speaking to Peter L, the second Bren is on display at the Small Arms Service Corps HQ Warminster.
So the two of them are as rare as Rocking Horse poo!

I sold it with a large number of other De-Acs on the 3rd of July 2014 to a well known dealer in Thames Valley.................no names no pack drill!!

[303 Collector]

I picked up nine of these last week from deceased persons effects.
There may be some paperwork from his police force about their status.
Until then sadly they remain section 5.

[Gil Boyd]

Eric,
They must take so much patience to produce those cutaways. Really nice too.
Looks like they have bundled them all in together on the same ticket with the live firers he must have held, as those clearly would never shoot again and shouldn't be labelled as such, but heyho each Force to their own on those by the looks of things.

[303 Collector]

Gill
You are right I was called in to take the guns held on his licence.
The cutaways were not on ticket and there is apparently a letter from his Police Force
stating they are non guns. This letter I'm told is dated around 2000. At this time the family
have mislaid it. To remain on the safe side I'm treating them as section 5.

[mrclark303]

Gill
You are right I was called in to take the guns held on his licence.
The cutaways were not on ticket and there is apparently a letter from his Police Force
stating they are non guns. This letter I'm told is dated around 2000. At this time the family
have mislaid it. To remain on the safe side I'm treating them as section 5.

Best be safe .. that said, clearly deactivated by other means and utterly incapable of discharging anything, certainly the 9mm C96 is a thing of beauty!