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Post by 25thapril on Oct 31, 2010 4:04:04 GMT 1
Hello All I'm trying to find some small parts to restore a dummy Vickers K for a collector friend. I have searched high and low but can not find anything so my question is where did they go ? His is a 1942 dated weapon so parts were need then so what happened ? Were they dumped / melted down ? It's just that Bren and normal vickers spares are every where so what happened with the "k" spares?   hope some one on the forum can shed some light Regards Daryl |
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Post by Peter Wells on Oct 31, 2010 7:19:30 GMT 1
Hi Daryl It really is a mystery because it seems to be a world-wide phenomenon including here in sunny SA. I have a 'K' in my personal collection and know of two others in our War Museum but apart from that - nothing. No guns, parts, tools or manuals.  Being primarily an Air Service gun maybe forum member Mark Finneran (current RAF) can shed some light on the subject. Cheers (enjoyed the game yesterday - well done the Wallabies  ) |
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Post by woodsy on Oct 31, 2010 7:41:06 GMT 1
Sorry I can't help with any K parts but I could send a replacement Rugby centre (Stephen Donald) to Aussie or RSA! |
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Post by Peter Wells on Oct 31, 2010 10:43:19 GMT 1
Hi Rod
Tough to lose a game at the last minute like that but an entertaining contest to watch anyway. Forunately the sun still came up this morning.
My side lost (badly) to the Sharks in our Currie Cup final last evening but now looking forward to our UK tour.
Cheers
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Post by Richard Fisher on Oct 31, 2010 15:32:54 GMT 1
It would be nice to know where all the Vickers K guns went as well (presumably the parts went with them). I've only ever come across one or two tools and didn't actually secure them.
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Post by tom on Feb 7, 2011 18:06:26 GMT 1
Vickers Ks were used into the 1960s by the Royal Navy and those ex Empire and allied nations we supplied ships to post WWII. They were mainly used on small stuff like mine sweepers.
When they became obsolete for air use large stocks were available and so they went to the navy and merchant navy and , this suprised me, to the Army. Post Dunkirk it was the standard AA armamnet on tanks as all the Brens went to replace the ones the infantry had lost. I can't say if they were shipped abroad but for a long period pre D-Day all the AFVs in Britain had them, often on weird suspension mounts. Training would have worn out a lot and used up spares.
The RAF regiment was also a big user with a dedicated tripod for airfield defence (the version with the butt and pistol grip was for them originally)
Finally between 60 and 70 were converted at various REME bases to be used by the Commandos on D-day, fitted with ground sights, Bren carry handles and bipods (have the DDE(E) for the 2 conversions/types and somewhere the copies of the orange file at the old Pattern Room library) and theres of course the well documented use of them on SAS jeeps and para recce jeeps.
There was a third and simpler bipod fitted version where they simply welded a gas cylinder and bipod from a Bren to the butt slide of the version with the butt, as used in the earlier Commando version.
ATB
Tom
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