Post by kevind on Dec 26, 2014 18:49:11 GMT 1
Hello All,
I am trying to establish a definitive list of the British Lewis gun variants and where possible official references for the weapons.
The easy part is up to World War II however weapons were then pulled from store, resurrected, repaired , modified, etc, and given different nomenclature. The .30 Cal Lewis guns supplied by the USA during 1941 -1942 were never introduced by List of Change however components for these weapons were sometimes introduced by LOC. The point I make is that there is little official information from the British perspective, on these weapons.
Following are the variants I am looking for information on:
LOC B 7323 27 Aug 1942 Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch S.S. (S.S. = Shoulder shooting)
LOC C 1575 15 Mar 1944 Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch Mk. XI ss
LOC C 2732 16 Aug 1946 Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch Mk. 1* (Introduced to service and declared obsolete in the same LOC)
LOC C 2732 16 Aug 1946 Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch Mk. 4 (Introduced to service and declared obsolete in the same LOC)
Guns, machine, Lewis .3 inch Mk. III*
Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch Mk. 1* (N)
Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch Mk. III D.E.M.S. (D.E.M.S. = Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship)
Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch Mk. III** (There is no known LOC for this variant. Skennerton in his book British Small Arms of WWII" makes reference to "Contract Records" work carried out by the trade during WWII and he sites an order to Westley Richards for 1,000 Mk. III** to be assembled from repairable and serviceable parts. The weapons are to be for A.A. use.)
Guns, machine, Lewis Mk. V. (Skennerton again sites orders for a total of 34,000 Mk. V Lewis guns placed to three contractors during November 1940. Enfield SAF, H. Atkin, and P.H. Arms Co. These could be US weapons as there was supposedly 42,000 (round figures) aircraft model guns supplied.)
I am looking for drawings, photographs, manuals any information that may be available.
On a separate matter, some time ago now I was looking at Luminous sights. There will be an article on Luminous sights for .303 in Lee Enfield in the next edition of Armourer magazine.
Kind regards to all.
Kev..
I am trying to establish a definitive list of the British Lewis gun variants and where possible official references for the weapons.
The easy part is up to World War II however weapons were then pulled from store, resurrected, repaired , modified, etc, and given different nomenclature. The .30 Cal Lewis guns supplied by the USA during 1941 -1942 were never introduced by List of Change however components for these weapons were sometimes introduced by LOC. The point I make is that there is little official information from the British perspective, on these weapons.
Following are the variants I am looking for information on:
LOC B 7323 27 Aug 1942 Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch S.S. (S.S. = Shoulder shooting)
LOC C 1575 15 Mar 1944 Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch Mk. XI ss
LOC C 2732 16 Aug 1946 Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch Mk. 1* (Introduced to service and declared obsolete in the same LOC)
LOC C 2732 16 Aug 1946 Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch Mk. 4 (Introduced to service and declared obsolete in the same LOC)
Guns, machine, Lewis .3 inch Mk. III*
Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch Mk. 1* (N)
Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch Mk. III D.E.M.S. (D.E.M.S. = Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship)
Guns, machine, Lewis .303 inch Mk. III** (There is no known LOC for this variant. Skennerton in his book British Small Arms of WWII" makes reference to "Contract Records" work carried out by the trade during WWII and he sites an order to Westley Richards for 1,000 Mk. III** to be assembled from repairable and serviceable parts. The weapons are to be for A.A. use.)
Guns, machine, Lewis Mk. V. (Skennerton again sites orders for a total of 34,000 Mk. V Lewis guns placed to three contractors during November 1940. Enfield SAF, H. Atkin, and P.H. Arms Co. These could be US weapons as there was supposedly 42,000 (round figures) aircraft model guns supplied.)
I am looking for drawings, photographs, manuals any information that may be available.
On a separate matter, some time ago now I was looking at Luminous sights. There will be an article on Luminous sights for .303 in Lee Enfield in the next edition of Armourer magazine.
Kind regards to all.
Kev..