Issue Day in Cuba
Maj. Garland Fay transferred to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GITMO) and prepared to start up the GITMO Sniper School at Deer Point. Maj. Fay hand-picks 50 prospective sniper candidates, all Privates. Fay issues the WRA A5 scoped rifles on 4 March 1918, which were picked up (FOB New Haven) on or about 10 Sept 1917 and subsequently shipped to Fay at GITMO. Sniper training began the day following issue at the Deer Point rifle range. I have pictures of the range and snipers, but pic limitation with these posts prohibit me posting them. I will post them later in bunches.
Diary Entry for Issue-Annotated-JT.jpgIssue Day - Annotated.jpg
How do I know when and where the rifles were issued? One of the sniper candidates Fay picked, Leslie David LaValley, kept an illegal diary of his time in the Marine Corps. I have a copy of that diary, as well as a copy of his photo album showing the scoped 1903 rifle SN 645771 he was issued, all courtesy of LaValley's son, Jim LaValley. I had to transcribe the diary so I could read it without straining my eyes. LaValley was a prolific writer and recorded peculiar details, but had a unique penmanship best described as tiny.
One of the pictures is a copy of a page from the diary,and the other is that same page transcribed for the convenience of the reader (and me). The actual diary is much clearer than the photo, but I had to zoom it.
As can be seen, Maj. Fay issued fifty sniper rifles to 50 sniper candidates on 4 Mar 18, including LaValley, who received rifle SN 645771, which will be shown in future posts to have Niedner taper bases. The subject will be covered in detail in future posts, but this rifle serial number is in a range indicating it was part of the WRA order of 500 rifles by Maj. Holcomb. The significance of this is that the phrase "as approved by Holcomb" refers to the Modified #2 mounts with Niedner taper bases. I have many others to back this up, and they will be addressed in future posts.
I have held LaValley's scope case in my hands with its scope intact as issued, as verified by his son, Jim LaValley. The current owner of the scope and case is a retired Vietnam era Scout-Sniper. The scope has the Marine Mounts and Niedner taper base receptacles. The significance of this is that if one of the rifles has Niedner taper bases, they all did. I will include more named scope cases and scopes in later posts. All have Niedner taper bases.
Anyone who cares to check the Marine Muster Rolls will discover these people were where this document says they where, at the times I say they were. I have a list of the names of the fifty men who received sniper rifles that day, but there is no probative value in posting them.
Many of the sniper’s scope cases and scopes have turned up in the intervening years. When they mustered out after the war, they turned in their rifles, but not their scopes. No serial number on the scopes meant no 782 gear record, thus no request to turn them in. Many of these scope cases have handwritten records indicating the sniper’s name and matching rifle serial number. I cross-referenced every single one of them through the list of names and the Muster Rolls. Every one of them checks out as being at Deer Point, and subsequently being transferred to OSD SOS School, and eventually being in the 11th or 13th Marine Regiments. More on this subject in subsequent posts.
The list of snipers below is from the diary. The picture of LaValley on his way to the OSD rifle range for the last time is from his photo album. He is holding his scoped sniper rifle with its scope attached. If you go to the Marine sniping school at Stoney Point, you will see a painting of this picture on the wall.
The sniper rifles issued at Deer Point by Maj. Garland Fay on 4 Mar 1918 were 1903 Springfield’s with Winchester A5 scopes mounted in modified #2 mounts with Niedner taper bases.
Sniper's from Sniper's Diary.jpgSgt Leslie D. LaValley - Annotated.jpgFireing Line at Guantanamo - Annotated.jpg
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Originally Posted by cplnorton
