Long Lee In WW1

[BruceHMX]

I was always under the impression that the Long Lee's had been taken out of service by the time WW1 started. Because of the centennial I have seen quite a few photos of them. I didn't realize they were still front line service guns. I pulled these two photos off the UK Telegraph site yesterday. Interesting that the Lee's in the first photo look like the shorter modified one's that SOG was selling a few years back.

[John Sukey]

Given the immense expansion of the army in WW1, anything that would chamber a 303 round was pressed into service.
In WW2 those same Long Lee's were issued to the home guard.
The P14 that the Brits didn't use in the first go round were re-issued in WW2, but mainly to the Home Guard though some wound up in the regular army. I remember a pic of a soldier in North Africa with one

[5Batt]

When the first NZer's landed at Gallipoli April 25th 1915 they were armed with the Long Lee Enfield & maybe even some MkII Metfords.

[Fred]

The soldier, Private Perry, with the white rag around his neck was killed by an artillery shell just moments after this photo was taken at the front.

[RCS]

London at the start of WW1

[BruceHMX]

So in reality that is why it is so hard to find a nice example of one? I just assumed they were sold out of service once the SMLE's were being produced. It appears from photos that front line units were still using and issued them in the Great War.

[JB White]

Since WW2 war reserve reissue was mentioned, there are quite a few P14's in this photo. So much for "Home Guard and colonial use only" eh?



From this booklet I got from John Sukey a long time back:

[p246]

Thanks for the pics guys several I have not seen.

[Fred]

During WWII...





During the Great War...

















Some of mine I used to have...

[Fred]