Centre for First World War Studies

The Pistol in British Military Service

during the Great War

A dissertation submitted by David Thomas (SRN 592736) in partial

fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA in British First World

War Studies

September 2010

1
 Contents

Introduction 3

Current Literature Review 3

Questions to be Addressed 5

Chapter One-Use and Issue 6

Chapter Two-Technique and Training 11

Accessories 14

Ammunition 16

Chapter Three-Procurement 18

History 18

Army Procurement 19

Royal Navy Procurement 23

Private Purchase 24

Overall Numbers 26

Conclusions. 26

Bibliography 28

Appendix 33

Acknowledgements 37

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the
written permission of the author.

2
 Introduction
The British military services made considerable use of pistols during the Great War but it is evident that
there is widespread ignorance and poor literary coverage of the weapons and their use. It is proposed to
examine the pistol in British military service in the Great War, covering issue and use, technique and
training, and procurement.

Approximately half a million pistols were procured during the war, making it one of the numerically
most widely issued weapons. A number of Corps, including the Machine Gun Corps, Tank Corps, and
Royal Flying Corps were issued pistols as personal weapons, as well as extensive distribution in other
arms. It is known that pistol use was widespread in trench warfare and critical on occasions.
Decorations, including several Victoria Crosses, are recorded as being won by men using them
aggressively. References to their use are exceptionally cursory, however, and the techniques adopted
and taught even more so. It is possible to gain a reasonably full insight into almost any Great War
weapon system, finding the numbers produced, by whom they were used, the training given, how they
were used or the tactics followed, and to what effect. Research has shown that this is not possible with
the pistol. For a weapon so widely distributed, this is surprising and rectification of this situation is
overdue.

Current Literature Review

British literature on firearms was limited until the late 1960s. More recently there has been rapid
expansion. Unfortunately, some of what has been produced is of poor quality. This is particularly the
case with the pistol. Initial data, good enough to redress the early ignorance, has not been updated to
reflect subsequent research. Too little has been academically inspired, and much remains unreferenced
and without bibliographies. One or two well known authors have only altered illustrations and a little
word processing to update their work. Fables, ignorance, wholesale gaps and some complete
misinformation have gone unchallenged in consequence.

Much of the difficulty of the literature is that it gives excessive coverage on technical data of pistols
that saw limited service as officers private purchase weapons, at the expence of types purchased in large
quantities by the government. Little hard information on the quantities purchased has been available.
Anecdotal and limited information on issue and use is repeated without question. The subjects of
technique and training have been largely ignored.

Two secondary sources proved highly useful. The first, Revolvers of the British Services, 1 was among
the earliest of the more specialised works examined. Its coverage of revolvers is almost exemplary. The
question it raised almost immediately was why the British stuck so firmly to the revolver, as opposed to
the semi automatic. The book states quite clearly that it deals with government purchase of revolvers
and that it has no coverage of private purchase. However, developments in goverment orders are
detailed, technical information is provided and official records are referred to, for all steps taken. The
endnotes are thorough and are almost entirely primary sources. The bibliography is extensive and the
references made this an essential secondary source and a means of finding primary research material,
together with other sources. The references to quality marque histories were particularly valuable.

1
A.W.F.Tayleron & W. H. J. Chamberlain, Revolvers of the British Services (Bloomfield Canada: Museum Restoration
Service, 1988) , passim

3
Primary sources indicated include the List of Changes, 2 Small Arms Committee Minutes 3 and the
National Archives Ministry of Munitions Files. 4 An edited version of List of Changes has been
produced in recent years, by Ian Skennerton. It records the dates of introduction of edged weapons,
firearms and associated ammunition and accoutrements into British Military Service. Although not
absolutely complete, it gives ready modern day access to an otherwise difficult to obtain primary source
and to important information.

The National Archives Ministry of Munitions Files have proved slightly frustrating and incomplete.
Gaps exist where documents have been removed, weeded or lost and any researcher must be prepared to
use them as part of a jigsaw, integrating them with other available data. Although much information
was discovered, often conclusive material on interesting topics was missing. The Official History of the
Ministry of Munitions 5 gave an overview of some aspects of procurement where the files were vague,
and previously unappreciated material on ammunition production and supply.

The second general work that proved valuable was From Howdah to High Power by Robert Maze. 6
This is a well written, illustrated book with relatively detailed information covering British military
pistol development in parallel governement issue and private purchase streams, explaining the latter
thoroughly. Coverage of the Great War era is good, with quality illustrations, although more data on
procurement quantities and issue would have been useful. There is nothing of consequence on technique
or use. The bibliography is thorough, but with fewer primary sources than could be wished. Overall,
these two secondary works, and importantly, the primary sources to which they led, enabled thorough
research of pistol procurement.

As well as the primary sources outlined, much useful information came from three books on Canadian
aspects, with many links to British issues. Canadian Military Handguns 1855-1985 is the best single
volume work, highly referenced, that has been found on a nation’s service pistols. 7 Allied to Surviving
Trench Warfare: Technology and the Canadian Corps 1914-1918 8 and A Rifleman went to War, 9 these
three works almost provided the literary coverage of a Great War weapon system mentioned as being
sought, above, albeit for Canada.

A magazine article by David Penn, written in 1980, proved to be a useful indicator of primary sources
on pistol technique, 10 all of which were obtained, themselves leading to other primary material. These
included Musketry Regulations, and privately produced shooting manuals, together with primary and
secondary research data from the Historical Breechloading Smallarms Association. Overall, this proved
to be a fruitful and rewarding area to research.

The issue of pistols to personnel has proved to be a challenging subject to investigate with relatively
little collated information. Field Service Manuals contain figures, but the pamphlets are difficult to find.
Contacts with various museums proved variable in value, but the Tank Museum was particularly helpful.
Official Great War pamphlets, such as Scouting andPatrolling and Tactical Employment of Lewis Guns,

2
I. Skennerton, List of Changes in British War Material (Margate Australia: Skennerton, 1980), passim
3
Small Arms Committee Minutes, passim
4
The National Archives [TNA]: Ministry of Munitions Files
5
HMSO, Official History of the Ministry of Munitions (London: Imperial War Museum Reprint), passim
6
R. Maze, Howdah to High Power (Tucson, USA: Excalibur Publications, 2002), passim
7
C. Law, Canadian Military Handguns 1855-1985 (Bloomfield, Ontario: Museum Restoration Service, 1994), passim
8
B. Rawling, Surviving Trench Warfare: Technology and the Canadian Corps 1914-19, passim
8
General Staff War Office SS195, Scouting and Patrolling 1917 (France: Army Printi 18 (Toronto: Toronto University Press,
1992), passim
9
H.W. McBride, A Rifleman went to War (Washington: Small Arms Technical Publishing Co, 1935), passim
10
D. Penn, ‘Practical Pistol Shooting-Legacy of Empire’, Handgunner, 1(1) (May 1980) ), passim

4
were trawled with some success for occasional mentions. 11 As regards use, several campaign histories
have provided useful references, contrary to previous belief, but often pistols are not mentioned in
indexes, where other weapon systems are. Fortunately, a secondary source on Great War Pistol VCs
was discovered.

Questions to be Addressed
The dissertation will first examine the reasons for the procurement of so many pistols. This will be done
attempting to match the characteristics of the weapon with the requirements of the troops issued with
them and the tasks they undertook, including the emerging arms and services. The dissertation will then
attempt to indicate to whom these pistols were issued by arm, unit, post, establishment or pool and will
examine the combat use of the pistol. This examination will try to cover, from an available sample, how
the pistol was actually used in a variety of situations and with what effect. It is intended to deal with
both positive and negative aspects.

The dissertation will research the pistol shooting techniques taught pre war, and how they developed and
were improved during the War. An assessment will be attempted of the effectiveness of the methods
ultimately taught and the training undertaken. If possible, an identification will be made of the
influential people involved. As part of this aspect of the study, a brief examination will be made of pistol
carriage and accessories. Ammunition supply will also be discussed in this section.

The dissertation will research procurement of pistols, in an attempt to ascertain how many were
purchased and from where, including foreign purchases. A brief historical survey will be necessary to
establish the starting point at commencement of the War. Government purchases and an idea of their
success or failure, will be assessed. Although a complete overview is now impossible because of the
incomplete commercial records, an indication will be attempted of procurement through private
purchase. An assessment will be given of the relative importance of the different types procured
through both systems.

The study will contain three chapters. The first will deal with Use and Issue. The second will deal with
Technique and Training. The third will deal with Procurement. It is hoped to produce a base document
on British Service pistols and their use, currently lacking for the Great War.

11
General Staff War Office SS195, Scouting and Patrolling 1917 (France: Army Printing and Stationery Service, 1917) and
General Staff War Office SS192, Tactical Employment of Lewis Guns 1918 (France:Army Printing and Stationery Service,
1918), passim

5
 Chapter One
Use and Issue
The British military services purchased approximately half a million pistols during the Great War. It is
worthwhile examining the characteristics of the weapon to explain why it was used on such a scale and
what made it a suitable weapon for warfare of the time. It should be borne in mind that the vast majority
of pistols issued were six shot .455 calibre double action revolvers and the characteristics examined refer
specifically to that type. It should be noted that all revolvers are pistols, but not all pistols are revolvers;
some are semi automatics, but in British service the official nomenclature for both was “pistol”.
However, care has to be taken in that some accounts speak of revolvers when actually referring to semi
automatics.

Firstly, pistols at the time of the Great War were regarded as principally one handed weapons, not two
handed as is current. The one handed usability was particularly beneficial if carrying a load or other
piece of equipment. They were relatively small, light and readily portable, either in the hand or holster.
The latter could be particularly useful when crossing wire and other obstacles. Pistols were easily
pointed at short range and usable with either hand. The pistol had much greater suitability than the rifle
for shooting round corners and in confined spaces in a trench system. Contrary to popular belief, the
pistol had high intrinsic accuracy within its effective range, commonly accepted as 50 yards. It was
safer in use at close quarters than grenades, particularly at night. It had a high rate of fire, good stopping
power and was reliable and easy to maintain.

Revolvers in particular could be kept well protected from the elements, but at the same time fully
loaded, with no safety catch, ready for rapid use. The pistol was probably the perfect weapon for use on
horseback, provided it was used with moderate care. It was certainly better than the lance! Although it
had questionable safety and utility in untrained hands, it was highly effective in the hands of a trained
man. This was to present a training problem that would have to be, and was, grasped and is mentioned
officially on several occasions. Above all, it was a weapon of opportunity and certainly much more
useful than a club. 12

These characteristics made the pistol the ideal for those who needed a weapon for self defence but
whose primary role did not normally involve using a weapon, such as senior officers, staff officers, and
military police. There was also a need to arm many personnel for whom a rifle was an unnecessary
encumbrance, allied to the shortage of rifles with which to arm them. These included those who worked
on, or carried, crew served weapons.

Such personnel as tank crews, machine gunners, aircraft crews etc, all needed personal defence
weapons, particularly for occasions when separated from their main weapon. The pistol was also highly
suitable for a number of offensive purposes in warfare, such as raids, fighting in trench systems, house
clearing, patrols, and tunnelling. It also had more mundane uses such as controlling prisoners and
putting down wounded animals. The great expansion of the Army and the increase in personnel in the
Machine Gun Corps, Tank Corps and Royal Flying Corps meant that large numbers of pistols were
required. 13 Unlike the Second World War, there was a lack of alternative in that the sub machine gun
had not appeared as a weapon. There are some unsubstantiated accounts of damaged rifles being
shortened for officers or of officers carrying more convenient sporting rifles, but these are limited.

12
These characteristics have been pooled from C.D.Tracy, The Service Revolver and How to use It (London: Harrison &
Sons, 1918) and J. Noel, How to Shoot with a Revolver (London: Foster and Groom, 1917)
13
TNA: MUN 4/2441

6
Examining issue in the infantry, the 1914 Field Service Manual Infantry Battalion (Expeditionary
Force) lists 29 officers’ pistols, one for the Medical Officer, one for the Depot party officer and 5 for
Range Takers. 14 Pistols were almost a badge of office and rank for all officers in the Army, as had been
the sword prior to the twentieth century. Infantry scales appear to have risen during the War, for
example with the No1 and No2 of Lewis guns being issued pistols. There is a note that they require
special training. 15 There would appear to have been pools at brigade/battalion level for trench raids
from 1916, but quality references are hard to find. Interestingly, despite claims of pistols being used as
“Persuader” for officers to make soldiers to do things they did not wish, there is limited evidence of this.

Accounts of use by infantry personnel are many. Lieutenant Baines of the Oxfordshire and
Buckinghamshire Light Infantry notes a stirring account of the use of his revolver at Nonne Boschen,
First Ypres in late 1914. He fired 52 rounds of the 54 he carried, burnt his hand whilst reloading and
brought down several Germans. 16 On the other hand, Captain Chaka won his VC at Gallipoli, but in a
later action at Bullecourt, in France, was making a two-man reconnaissance patrol when he came across
a German officer and soldier. His pistol misfired but he struck the officer with it and took the pair
prisoner.

There are several recorded Canadian experiences. 14th Battalion, 3 Brigade, came under heavy fire at
Vimy from four machine guns in a major German trench. No artillery fire was available, so Lewis
Gunners advanced firing from the hip, forcing the German machine gunners under cover. Two positions
were destroyed. The third was captured by Lieutenant B.F. Davidson, who shot the crew with his
revolver. At Passchendaele in an attack against pillboxes, the raw courage of Lieutenant H. Kennedy,
31st Battalion, was noted as he charged through the barrage and captured a pillbox with his revolver,
taking 37 prisoners. 17

In trench warfare the Canadian Corps experience was that soldiers often preferred pistols as weapons for
trench raids. Describing these in 1917, an authoritative source notes:
Few men carried rifles, since they were allowed to bring their weapons of choice, bombs were
the most popular, revolvers almost as favoured, and some men brought clubs.
A 1918 comment talks of the raid leader carrying a revolver and 25 rounds amongst his equipment.
Each bomber was also meant to carry a revolver and 25 rounds, in addition to his grenades. 18 SS195
Scouting and Patrolling notes the convenience of pistols for trench raids, but also makes the point that
those so armed should be expert in their use. 19

Herbert McBride was an American who joined the Canadian Army as a volunteer machine gunner, was
subsequently commissioned, and served temporarily in the British Army. He was an acknowledged
expert shooting enthusiast who wrote two detailed books about his Great War experiences, both of
which are highly regarded, particularly in the USA, for their practical small arms and field craft
information.

14
General Staff War Office, Field Service Manual Infantry Battalion Expeditionary Force 1914 (London: HMSO, 1914),
p.51
15
General Staff War Office, SS192, Tactical Employment of Lewis Guns 1918, (France:Army Printing and Stationery
Service, 1918) p.8
16
IWM: Department of Documents, ref: P146 Baines, Lieutenant-Colonel C.S., DSO Ts account (13pp) of the First Battle of
Ypres, 31 October 1914, written some years afterwards by a Lieutenant in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light
Infantry.
17
Rawling, Surviving Trench Warfare, pp. 123 and 163
18
Rawling, Surviving Trench Warfare, pp. 102 and 172
19
General Staff War Office, SS195, Scouting and Patrolling 1917 (France: Army Printing and Stationery Service, 1917) p.
20

7
One book has a major chapter on the subject of pistols, plus smaller references. 20 McBride recounts
Canadian experiences of the Colt .45 Government Model semi automatic pistol, the use of pistols during
raids and methods of carriage therein, as well as the other rank attitude towards pistols. Particularly
with Canadian machine gunners, this seemed to be one of “soonest acquisition the better”. McBride
notes that pistols were seldom left fallen on the battlefield, or with wounded or dead men, but were
quickly picked up. Battlefield archaeologists report finding few pistols, considering the number issued,
supporting this view. 21

Tunnellers were issued pistols and made good use of them, after reputedly trying cut-down rifles as
alternative weapons, unsuccessfully. Lieutenant Brisco of 172 Tunnelling Company had underground
close quarter fights involving pistols and explosive charges in the period November 1915 to January
1916, at The Bluff/St Eloi, Ypres. Lieutenant Westacott of the 2nd Canadian Tunnelling Company led
pistol-armed parties underground in sustained encounters with German tunnellers at Hooge/Hill 60 in
June and July 1916. The accounts make graphic reading and demonstrate the characteristics and
capabilities of the service revolver remarkably well. 22

In the cavalry, all ranks from sergeant and above were issued pistols, noted as Webleys, probably
because the hinge frame made it easier to load on horseback. 23 The cavalry on the western Front saw
only limited use, but during the retreat from Mons in August and September 1914, it is noted that they
made good use of revolvers generally and the individual successes of at least one officer. 24 Tracy, see
below, quotes a group of British officers during the retreat, causing casualties amongst a troop of Uhlans
at approximately 250 yards, by using their revolvers. 25

In Palestine there are many accounts of pistol use by mounted troops in the cavalry campaign history.
During the charge at Beersheba, a number of incidents are recorded. Major Hyman shot several Turks
in a redoubt with his revolver. Major Featherstonaugh had his horse shot under him; put it down with
his revolver, before emptying the weapon into several Turks. Risaldar Singh at El Hinu, outpaced his
troop, galloped into an enemy cavalry force, shot two with his revolver, and clubbed three before his
troop caught up with him. 26

All ranks of both foot and mounted Military Police were issued pistols and they were almost a badge of
office. However, there is at least one note of careless use of a pistol by a policeman. At Etaples in
September 1917, following the arrest and release of a soldier, a crowd gathered and a policeman (not
RMP) maladroitly fired his revolver, killing an innocent by-standing NCO and injuring a Frenchwoman.
This was a factor in the start of the so-called Etaples Mutiny. 27

The Royal Flying Corps appear to have had high scales of issue of pistols. A 1915 squadron
mobilisation table shows 175 Webley revolvers, in addition to rifles, plus a dozen semi automatic pistols

20
McBride, A Rifleman went to War, pp. 167-187
21
Conversation Thomas-Robertshaw March 2010
22
A. Barrie, War Underground (London: Frederick Muller, 1962), pp. 126-129 and 227-240
23
A. Rawson, Handboook of the British Army 1914-1918 (Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 2006), p.103
24
R. Holmes, “The Last Hurragh: British Cavalry on the Western Front, August-September 1914’, in H. Cecil & P. Liddle,
ed., Facing Armaggedon (London: Leo Cooper, 1996), pp. 278-296
25
Tracy, Service Revolver, p. 74
26
Marquess of Anglesey, History of the British Cavalry 1816-1919Volume 5 1914-1919 (London: Leo Cooper
1997), pp. 157, 239
27
R. Holmes, Tommy (London: Harper Collins, 2004), pp 347-348

8
for pilots. The use of pistols as early aircraft armament, until more widespread use of machine guns in
1915, is recorded in the RFC Communiqués. 28

Artillery batteries had varying scales, but little data remains save for odd incomplete references. Royal
Horse Artillery batteries appear to have had 70 revolvers per battery, 29 but other types of battery
considerably fewer. Pistols became the principal secondary small arm in the Machine Gun Corps from
the spring of 1916, when rifles were removed from Vickers detachments. The issue is noted as being
accompanied by much target practice. 30

Pistols were also the principal small arm in the Tank Corps. The report of the Tank Corps Revolver
School on the use of pistols from tanks and the general success of pistols states:
From active service experience it has been found that the revolver, properly understood and
handled, can be a most useful and deadly weapon in the field. Its simplicity and reliability
rendered it extremely suitable for use from the tank. 31

For horse and mule slaughtering, .455 Mk 2 and .310 Horse Slaughtering were the only authorised
cartridges. 32 Total British horse and mule mortality, died, killed and destroyed was in excess of
484,000 animals. 33 Many animals were shot during actions and there are accounts of the use of pistols
for this purpose. 34

The Royal Navy issued pistols to warships for boarding and boat parties, shore parties and for close
quarter fighting. Initially scales were highly variable but from April 1915, following a degree of
rationalisation, they were less generous. Battleships and battle cruisers were all issued with 40 pistols.
Cruisers and light cruisers had between 20 and 40, depending on the specific class. All destroyers held
25 pistols. Torpedo boats and gunboats were issued between 12 and 24. 35 Unfortunately, few accounts
of their use appear to have survived.

Twenty-two VCs were won, seven of them by officers, for promptness and marksmanship in the use of
the pistol, rather than just carrying one in the hand. 36 The classic example is Captain Gee VC, who in the
village of Les Rues Vertes at Cambrai in November 1917, charged a machine gun position with two
revolvers, killing eight Germans and capturing the post. 37Another less known is Lieutenant Moor VC of
the Hampshire Regiment. At Krithia in Gallipoli he stopped a precipitate retreat of elements of 29th
Division with his revolver, by shooting the leading four soldiers. 38

Lieutenant Leach of the Middlesex Regiment, assisted by Sergeant Hogan, both won the VC at Festubert
in late 1914 whilst recapturing a trench system. So as not to expose himself, Leach used his revolver
ambidextrously to fire round corners of the system, whilst Sgt Hogan covered the parapet. They shot
eight Germans, wounded two and drove several others before them, eventually capturing sixteen more.

28
C. Cole, ed., Royal Flying Corps Commnuniques 1915-1916 (London:Tom Donovan, 1990), pp. 46,56,60 and 104
29
Law, Canadian Military Handguns 1855-1985, p. 39
30
G. Coppard, With a Machine Gun to Cambrai (London: Cassell, 1980 ), p.78
31
HQ Tank Corps, Report of Tank Corps Revolver School 1919
32
P. Labbett, British Small Arms Ammunition 1864-1938 (London: Labbett, 1993), p. 280
33
Sir L.J. Benkinsop & J.W. Rainey, Veterinary History of the War (London: HMSO, 1925), p.510
34
B. Hammond, Cambrai (London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2008), pp. 383
35
TNA: ADM186/865 and 866
36
A.D. Harvey, ‘Revolver VCs’, Guns Review, November 1992 and A.D. Harvey, ‘The Pistol on the Battlefield’, RUSI
Journal, 151/1 (2006)
37
Hammond, Cambrai, pp. 364-366
38
L. Carlyon, Gallipoli (London: Doubleday, 2001), p.308

9
Sergeant Downie, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, won the VC at Les Bouefs in October 1916 by using the fire
of his Lewis Gun section to enable him to outflank an enemy machine gun position. He killed all four
men manning it with his revolver. Sergeant Cooper of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps, under the covering
fire of four of his riflemen, crawled through wire and approached a blockhouse at Langemark in August
1917. He silenced the machine guns within by firing his revolver through the slit, capturing several
machine guns and the pillbox garrison when they surrendered. He was awarded the VC for his
actions. 39 These last three actions were used by Captain Noel in a post-war summary to highlight some
of the lessons of pistol use during the War in the referenced article in the Cavalry Journal.

Pistols were issued to a wide variety of personnel, ranks and posts. They were used both defensively
and offensively with many positive outcomes. The best results would appear to have been achieved by
those trained in their use and using them as weapons of opportunity.

39
J. Noel, ‘Training in the Revolver’, Cavalry Journal, (January 1921)

10
 Chapter Two
Technique and Training
Somewhat surprisingly, the subject of military pistols and their use had been aired at a relatively high
level in the United Kingdom before the War. Major H.E.C. Kitchener, then an instructor at Sandhurst,
had delivered a lecture at the Royal United Services Institute in July 1886. It is an early, but remarkably
rounded and well worked through appreciation of the realities of military revolver use. 40 Subsequently,
in 1896, Lieutenant-Colonel G.V. Fosbery, reprised the subject at the same location and covered recent
developments, with a spirited after lecture discussion. 41

During the Boer War pistols had a poor reputation as weapons, largely due to a number of safety related
incidents and do not appear to have been used often. This was not a pistol war, with relatively few close
quarter engagements being fought. Probably as a result, little interest was taken in improving training. 42

Pre-war military pistol shooting had a strong target shooting influence. Competitive pistol shooting had
commenced at National Rifle Association Meetings at Wimbledon in 1885, moving to Bisley in 1890.
Initially slow fire, it became more practical involving rapid fire, moving, and short exposure targets,
under the influence of Walter Winans. He was a noted target shot, benefactor of the National Rifle
Association and Olympic medallist. He had written a number of books on target pistol shooting before
the War, but with much practical or combat advice. 43 It is notable that almost all the war time authors of
privately published manuals, see below, acknowledge his assistance or advice.

However, despite these various influences and although many soldiers competed at Bisley, the Army did
not adjust its own training. Arthur Woodhouse produced a police training manual in 1907 for India,
which had some advanced practical techniques. However, the extreme rarity of copies of this book in
the United Kingdom brings into question whether any military authorities or instructors were aware of
it. 44

Pistol training and tests are included in Musketry Regulations for various years, including those for
1909, reprinted in 1914. The Regulations are thorough and give descriptions of the pistol mechanism,
operation, and cleaning. The differences between cocking action, or single practice (nowadays known
as single action) and trigger action, or continuous practice (nowadays double action) are explained.

Details as to how pistol practice is to be conducted, on 30-yard ranges, are given, including all the
targets, orders and precise drill movements. Firing is to be by cocking and trigger action, with both right
and left hands. The shooting tests and practices are, however, pedestrian target shooting at a bulls eye
target, using deliberate shooting with the sights, with no time limits. The training can be summarised as
far from suitable for war situations and failing to produce a competent combat shot. 45

Soon after the start of the War, an ever-increasing number of soldiers were equipped with pistols.
Casualties were caused through careless and uninstructed handling of pistols, emphasising the need for
correct training. Allied to this was a realisation of the need for better techniques in pistol fighting and

40
H.E.C. Kitchener, ‘Revolvers and their use’, RUSI Lecture, 14 July 1886
41
G.V. Fosbery, ‘On Pistols’, RUSI Lecture, 13 May 1896
42
Extracts from Reports by Officers Commanding Units in South Africa during 1899-1901 (London:HMSO, 1901), pp.21-43
43
W Winans, The Art of Revolver Shooting (New York & London: Putnam, 1901 and 1911), passim
44
A. Woodhouse, New Revolver Manual for Police aand Infantry Forces (India: 1907) passim
45
General Staff War Office, Musketry Regulations, Part 1 1909(Reprint 1914) (London: HMSO, 1914), pp. 25-30 and 113-
115

11
for close combat, quick shooting, often in trenches. Significantly higher standards of safety and shooting
were required than pre-war. 46 Fortuitously, the British Army had recruited a key figure.

Charles Tracy had lived and worked for some years in America, where he became interested in pistol
shooting. There is a family anecdotal link to his having associated and shot with Buffalo Bill Cody.
Tracy was commissioned in January 1915 into the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment and
subsequently promoted Captain. Although too old for front line service, he was quickly employed as an
instructor at the School of Musketry at Bisley. He later worked at Wareham at the Southern Command
Revolver School before returning to Bisley. Wareham and Bisley appear to have been the principal
revolver schools. 47

The influence of Tracy is as the bringer of pistol fighting technique. In 1915 he wrote a simple
instructional handbook for more advanced training, drawing attention to his skills and knowledge. 48 He
advocated the use of instinctive shooting at close ranges and using the sights for longer distances.
Tracy’s stated “War Shot” standard was the ability of a man to hit a 12” by 16” rectangle, with one
pistol shot at ten yards, in one second. He is acknowledged as the writer of the 1916 Addendum to
Musketry Regulations, which improved pistol training enormously. 49 According to his family history, he
made a visit to the Western Front in April 1917 to see the trench fighting problem and to incorporate
lessons into shooting instruction.

In the same year he toured all the ANZAC units, giving instruction, as well as demonstrating at the
Senior Officers School and lecturing at the Royal Military College Sandhurst. In early 1918 he
undertook a ten-week tour of all the Officer Cadet Battalions. Wider and later knowledge of him comes
from his definitive pistol manual produced in 1918. 50 Tracy was demobilised in 1919, and was awarded
the OBE (Military Division) for his war service, in 1920. 51

The advent of the December 1916 Addendum No3 to Musketry Regulations was the major move to
produce a practical course of instruction and fire. Issued with Army Orders as a separate 15 page close-
typed document, it was intended to be enclosed with Musketry Regulations. It included a much more
advanced and demanding set of practices and tests than before the war.

These cover grouping, rapid and snap shooting, at a variety of ranges, and engaging targets whilst
advancing on foot. Shooting is to be conducted with both right and left hand, single and double action,
to tight timings. One practice involves firing at targets whilst moving down a trench. There are mounted
practices for those for whom they were appropriate.

Shooting was to be carried out at the more realistic Figure 3 Kneeling Target, with vertical rectangular
scoring marks. Notes on pistol training are included, with safety instructions, suggested preliminary
training off range, and advice on running live firing. 52 Whilst many pamphlets can remain unread it is
interesting to note that a copy of Addendum No 3 was found recently, bound into a notebook. It was
kept by an officer, one 2nd Lieutenant W.N. Libby, Monmouthshire Regiment, who attended a revolver

46
Tracy, Service Revolver, p. 9
47
S. Tallack & J. Moore, ‘Charles Dunlop Tracy’, Historical Breechloading Smallarms Association Journal, 2 (9) (1996)
48
C.D. Tracy, Revolver Shooting in War (London: Sifton Praed, 1915), passim
49
General Staff War Office, Addendum No3, December 1916, to Musketry Regulations 1909 (London: HMSO, 1916)
50
Tracy, Service Revolver, passim
51
Tallack & Moore, ‘Charles Dunlop Tracy’, passim
52
General Staff War Office, Addendum No3, December 1916, to Musketry Regulations 1909(London: HMSO, 1916)

12
course at Bisley at the end of the war. The officer’s added notes reflect the more advanced ideas that
Tracy’s later work incorporated. 53

Although the main schools have been noted, there were others. The Tank Corps, for example, ran a
separate Revolver School at Wareham that trained instructors. The School opened in late 1916. A total
of 403 Officers and 544 SNCO instructors were trained in wartime courses lasting a week. From early
1917 instruction was conducted in shooting from a tank at a target advancing from a trench. A total of
approximately 6,900 soldiers fired Battle Practices at the School, under these trained instructors. 54

To aid the training specialised revolver ranges were needed as well as the numerous standard 30 yard
ranges. Evidence exists of Tracy designed tactical ranges with trench systems, simulated buildings
made of canvas, moving and three dimensional targets made from papier mache, together with blanks,
flares and booby traps which were triggered by the firer walking down the range. Descriptions and
photographs appear in Noel’s book. Post war, the 1924 manual on Range Construction produced a
formalised and approved set of drawings, for this and also the Revolver Battle Practice Range. 55

As well as the Schools already mentioned, an example of the latter has been identified at Strensall at
what was then the Northern Command Musketry School. The Machine Gun Corps Training Centre at
Grantham also had a number of revolver ranges and targets, although no as yet identified revolver battle
range. 56 Informal training took place in the trenches. The Machine Gun Corps shot at rifle rounds
embedded in a sandbag, for practice, with satisfying target effects for a bulls eye. 57

Like many other subjects, including map reading and musketry, various help yourself manuals were
produced throughout the war, some reflecting official training, and they seem to have been widely
circulated. It is obviously almost impossible to assess their effect at this stage, save as an indication of
contemporary technique and influence. Lieutenant H. Douglas was a noted target rifle shot who
produced a booklet entitled Automatic pistols and revolvers early in the War. 58 It contains principally
the pre War Musketry Regulations on pistols and their shooting and as such is no advance on those
instructions. There is, however, discussion of the relative merits of revolvers and semi automatics and a
thorough survey of the different types on the market.

Captain J. Noel produced a pocket book entitled How to Shoot with a Revolver. 59 His approach was to
identify the characteristics of the revolver and to develop skills to capitalise on them. There is much
stress on strengthening exercises and developing what would now be termed muscle memory. Vertical
raise, instinctive aim, whole hand squeeze, short range, and quick shooting are all stressed, but there is a
lack of tactical information. The book was, however, a step forward. Noel produced a more substantial
book, The Automatic Pistol, in 1919, which has even been reprinted recently. 60 He became Head of
Revolver Training in the Machine Gun Corps and post War, Head of Revolver Training at the Small
Arms School.

53
C.L. Bryant, ‘Revolver Shooting’,Historical Breechloading Smallarms Association Journal, 2 (10)
54
HQ Tank Corps, Report on Tank Corps Revolver School 1919
55
J. Noel, The Automatic Pistol (London: Foster & Groom, 1919), pp. 94-95 and Small Arms Training Volume III Small
Arms Range Regulations (1924), pp. 112-119
56
D. Harding A Study of United Kingdom Ranges (Privately produced)
57
Coppard With a Machine Gun to Cambrai, p.84
58
H. Douglas, Automatic Pistols and Revolvers (London: Harrison & Sons, 1915?)
59
Noel, How to Shoot with a Revolver, passim
60
Noel, The Automatic Pistol, passim

13
Hugh Pollard was a well-known firearms authority in the early half of the twentieth century who wrote a
comprehensive book on the pistol, The Book of the Pistol and Revolver, 61 published in early 1917.
Pollard’s work is an overall study of the subject, covering history, survey of types, target use, how to
shoot, etc but has an additional chapter on training military shots. Although short, this contains much
good advice and recites maxims of the time including a rapid raise of the pistol, the whole hand squeeze,
as well as training with both right and left hand. Pollard is keen to encourage double action shooting.
Other aspects include engaging targets whilst advancing down range and re-loading whilst on the run!
Pollard mentions, indicating that he was aware of Addendum No 3, 62 “a better course of military
training is now insisted upon”. Overall, the work reflects a more adventurous and practical attitude
towards training pistol shots and expectations of higher standards.

Tracy had written his first manual in 1915 and updated and enlarged it in editions of 1916 and 1917. 63
A completely new work was published in 1918. 64 This is a highly structured, comprehensive, well
illustrated manual taking the reader from basics to advanced skills, including tactical uses, and mirrors
the syllabus of the revolver schools. The book covers almost every possible aspect of pistol fighting
technique. Its influence can be seen in many subsequent police and military manuals. 65

Techniques covered include the correct loading order of the cylinder with loose cartridges, to ensure the
pistol is ready to fire as soon as it is closed with a partial load, clearing a cartridge stuck under the
extractor, or using a pistol at extreme range. The book does reflect the contemporary attitude of the
revolver being more reliable than the semi automatic pistol.

From a somewhat simple and unsuitable procedure at the start of the War, British pistol technique
developed along parallel but complimentary official and private lines, to a sophisticated level. Safe use,
allied to skilled tactical methods produced first class combat shots. Anyone passing out from a revolver
instructional course in the latter half of the War would have been better trained with a pistol than all but
special forces personnel in the modern army.

Accessories
Sub calibre training pistols in .22 calibre are mentioned in Addendum No 3 and privately produced
manuals, as useful for training. Target pistols existed in that calibre in the United Kingdom, but most
were unsuitable single shots. Commercial adaptors had been in existence for a number of years, mostly
of the Morris Tube type, chambered for .22 or proprietary sub calibre cartridges. Versions existed with
a barrel insert converting a revolver into a single shot pistol, and with both a barrel insert and a reduced
calibre cylinder, preserving the revolver capability. The Webley factory records, however, only indicate
the sale of one Morris Tube during the war. 66

The Royal Navy made considerable use of Morris Tube adaptors in gunnery training and possessed
revolver adaptors, but again, there is little evidence of their use. A small number of Webley WS .22
target revolvers, in the low tens, were sold before the war to a number of training establishments,
including Sandhurst, but there is little to indicate that sub calibre training was widespread. 67

61
H.B.C. Pollard. The Book of the Pistol and Revolver (London: McBride, Nast & Co, 1917), pp.185-192
62
Pollard,. The Book of the Pistol and Revolver, p. 73
63
Tracy, Revolver Shooting in War, passim
64
Tracy, The Service revolver and How to Use It (London: Harrison & Sons, 1918 ), passim
65
Penn, ‘Practical Pistol Shooting-Legacy of Empire’, Handgunner, 1(1) (May 1980), pp. 26-31
66
M. Milner, Webley Commercial Production (Privately produced)
67
Milner, Webley Commercial Production (Privately produced)

14
Speed or rapid loaders, for inserting six rounds at once into revolvers, had been in existence for a
number of years, including during the Boer War, without great success. The Prideaux second pattern
magazine loaders, which were more compact and simpler than earlier designs, were available on private
purchase from 1914. They were approved by the Ministry of Munitions in 1915 and became
Government issue in LoC 21527 of September 1918, to govern supply as needed, following successful
use. They could be used on .455 chambered Webley, Colt and S&W revolvers and are so marked on
surviving commercial examples.

The Prideaux loader presents cartridges to the rear of a revolver cylinder in a metal clip held in a circular
holder, which falls away as the cartridges fill the cylinder (Appendix: Image 17). The loader relies only
on pressure for operation, not gravity. A small metal ring was intended to hold it on a string attached to
the firer, so that it was not dropped or lost. Prideaux loaders were made by Austin Motors, 68 and are
still probably the best revolver speed loader ever used and certainly one of the fastest. Tracy
recommended their use. The speed loader not only gave more rapid re-loading of the revolver, arguably
reducing considerably one of the major advantages of the semi automatic, but also more sure re-loading
at night..

The lanyard was intended to prevent dropping the pistol, but could give problems as noted by Tracy.
His advice was that it should be worn attached to the belt in the centre of the body. He recommended
the use of the lanyard at night, when dropping the pistol could lead to losing it. However, he did not in
daylight, when he noted that the lanyard might catch in trench paraphernalia, outweighing its
advantages. 69

W.W. Greener, the Birmingham gun maker, produced a small number of modified French Gras
bayonets, to the design of Captain Arthur Pritchard. The so-called Greener-Pritchard, could be fitted on
to the hinge joint under the barrel of the Webley Mark VI revolver. When fitted, the revolver becomes
clumsy, but maintains a mild degree of lethality when empty. The bayonet is featured misleadingly in
every modern mention of wartime pistols, but saw limited use, was unsuccessful commercially and was
never adopted officially. 70

Another myth that has grown in recent years has been that Webley revolvers were fitted with the
shoulder stock from the Webley 1½ inch Very pistol, to produce a form of revolver carbine. Although
this can be done, there is no evidence that it ever was. There are no contemporary illustrations or
accounts and the idea is not mentioned by Tracy. One rumour is that it was first produced by a
respected museum curator, as a joke that has been swallowed by American collectors. A more
charitable view is that it was possibly an Indian Army innovation.

As a means of carriage, officers used the Sam Browne leather belt as part of service dress before the
war. Pistols were carried in a leather-flapped holsters worn on the belt on the right hip, with a slight
muzzle rear rake, although different regiments had variations on this carriage. Some holsters have a
small leather flap and stud to hold it tight against the Sam Browne cross strap. . Examples also exist of
an open top holster designed and promoted by Tracy, meant to be worn in a low slung manner.

Officers also used 1908 pattern webbing, with issue open top leather holsters, later in the war,
particularly when there was growing pressure for officers to be less obvious in their dress. There are
even private purchase leather holsters covered with a canvas outer case. The Canadians purchased

68
T. Mullin, Colt New Service Revolver (Coburg, Canada: Collector Grade Publications, 2009), pp.74-76
69
Tracy, The service revolver and how to use it, pp. 117-118
70
Maze, Howdah to High Power, p.49

15
webbing equipment and holsters from America from the Mills Woven Cartridge Belt Company. For
British other ranks, only open top leather holsters were issued. 71

There is less evidence of holsters for pocket pistols, see below, although some elegant specimens exist.
As the name suggests, these pistols were probably carried in officers’ pockets. This mode of carry
would be more sensible if an officer were trying to carry a pistol whilst looking outwardly like a soldier.

There are also a number of photographs showing pistols being carried slung across the holder’s chest,
held by the lanyard round the neck. The part open jacket would possibly indicate that the pistol could be
thrust inside for protection from the elements. Photographs show Lewis gunners using this mode of
carry. McBride, see above, makes the point of appropriate methods of carriage when crawling. The
holster should be worn on the belt in middle of the back, or strapped in between the shoulder blades, to
keep it out of the mud. 72

Cleaning of pistols was by use of brass pistol cleaning rod with eyelet end and ring handle, using
flannelette and oil, with emphasis on maintaining the polish in the bore. The cleaning rod was often
carried on the reverse of the holster in a slot. There is also evidence of the use of brass bristle brushes to
remove heavy fouling.

Ammunition
The scale of revolver ammunition issue was initially 12 rounds on the man, 12 rounds in unit transport
and 12 rounds in the Brigade Ammunition Column. 73 Ammunition packaging was in packets of sixes.
Rounds were carried in pouches containing twelve rounds. Additional ammunition seems to have been
carried when considered necessary.

Only two types of pistol cartridge were made under contract, although a small batch of .450 ammunition
was made up for obsolete revolvers at the beginning of the War. The principal round was the .455 Mark
2 revolver cartridge. It had a round nosed, hollow based bullet of 265 grains, of lead and antimony,
loaded into a. two flash hole Berdan primed brass case. Propellant was between 5.5 and 6.5 grains of
chopped Cordite Mark 1, giving a muzzle velocity of 600 fps. The 455 Mk 2 was the first British pistol
cartridge designed with a cordite load, introduced in 1894, and noteworthy for its short case for more
efficient use of the cordite.

The longer case for the Mark 1 cartridge initially had gunpowder propellant, later replaced with cordite.
The Mark 2 was succeeded by the Marks 3, 4 and 5 with various so-called flat or hollow nosed “man
stopper” bullets. However, it was returned to and reissued after the Mark 5, because of fears of non
compliance with the Hague Convention, forbidding expanding bullets. Earlier Marks of cartridge were
used up in training. 74
.
When the Ministry of Munitions took over the provision of pistol ammunition in 1915 there were orders
for 5 million rounds extant. The pistol ammunition manufacturers were initially the Ordnance Factory,
Eley, and Kynoch. The rate of supply was 850,000 rounds per month. However, the War Office said
that expenditure was lower than expected and a stock had been built. Supply was first reduced, then
temporarily stopped, then restarted three months later, rapidly rising to the former rate figure again in

71
Maze, Howdah to High Power, pp. 52-54, 85
72
McBride, A Rifleman Went to War, pp. 177-178
73
General Staff War Office, Field Service Pocketbook 1914 (London: HMSO, Reprinted with Amendments, 1916), p.162
74
Labbett, British Small Arms Ammunition 1864-1938, pp. 161-173

16
early 1917. Birmingham Metal and Munitions was given a contract for 100,000 per month in April
1917 when the other manufacturers could not meet this reinstituted requirement. 75

There were a few thousand short of 3 million rounds of .455 Mark 2 on the Western Front at the end of
the War in November 1918. In excess of 83 million cartridges were produced during the War. 76 It is
interesting to note that the Ministry of Munitions history states that there were never any problems with
supply of pistol ammunition.

The other cartridge produced for the Government was the .455 Webley self-loading. This had a semi
rimmed brass cartridge case with a 224 grain jacketed bullet, a 7 grains cordite propellant load and a
muzzle velocity of 700 fps. It was made by the same factories as the revolver round. Ammunition was
packed in sevens to match pistol magazine capacity. It became necessary to label the packaging of these
cartridges as “NOT FOR REVOLVERS” to prevent their incorrect use in revolvers, into which they
could be made to fit. The pressure of the semi auto cartridge was higher than the revolver was designed
to take. 77 Just over 2.6 million rounds were acquired during the War. 78

Problems were noted with .455 semi auto ammunition causing some stoppages with Webley semi
automatic pistols, but not Colt, and this became the subject of a reliability trial towards the end of the
war. The residue from the cordite propellant was suspected to be the problem, but was not proven. A
somewhat inconclusive trial with different propellants did not finish until after the war. 79 Otherwise
there do not appear to have been any reliability problems.

The Official History of the Ministry of Munitions records procurement of small quantities of 38
Automatic Colt Pistol (ACP), (30,000 rounds), 380 ACP (10,000 rounds) and 32 ACP (22,500 rounds)
ammunition in September1917. Subsequent monthly quantities of 10.000 rounds, 3,250 rounds and
7,500 rounds, respectively, were then requested. 80 It is believed that this was this to cope with the fact
that private purchase pistols of those calibres were at the front in officers’ hands. It is presumed that
ammunition types, such as these, were procured either from the UK trade, or from American commercial
sources. 81 Recent research would indicate manufacture by Remington in the USA. 82The recognised
authority on British military ammunition manufacture does not record British pistol ammunition being
made in other than those calibres previously listed.

The Ministry of Munitions also purchased over half a million rounds of .45ACP semi automatic pistol
ammunition in August 1917, when there were only a small number of Colt pistols in that calibre in
British naval service. The replenishment rate was set at 100,000 rounds per month. 83 The question is
raised whether they were for the Canadians who had purchased 2 million rounds initially from Colt, but
do not seem to have replenished them later? Alternatively, there were a large number of officers’ private
purchase Colt GM pistols in that calibre, see below, and as with the cartridges above, perhaps
ammunition was provided for them, or possibly for all three reasons. The ammunition seems to have
been purchased from Winchester, according to examples of the packaging. 84

75
HMSO, Official History of Ministry of Munitions Volume 11 (London: Imperial War Museum Reprint), Chapter VI, p. 50
76
HMSO, Official History of Ministry of Munitions Volume 11, Chapter VI, pp.26, 103, 104
77
Labbett, British Small Arms Ammunition 1864-1938, pp. 187-191
78
HMSO, Official History of Ministry of Munitions Volume 11, Chapter VI, pp. 27 and 104
79
Small Arms Committee Minutes 1917-1918, Nos 25 and 176
80
HMSO, Official History of Ministry of Munitions Volume 11 (London: Imperial War Museum Reprint), Chapter VI, p.27
81
HMSO, Official History of Ministry of Munitions Volume 11 (London: Imperial War Museum Reprint), Chapter VI, p. 27
82
A.O. Edwards, British Secondary Smallarms Parts 4 (Canterbury: Solo Publications, 2005), p.51
83
HMSO, Official History of Ministry of Munitions Volume 11 (London: Imperial War Museum Reprint), Chapter VI, p.27
84
A.O. Edwards, British Secondary Smallarms Parts 2 (Canterbury: Solo Publications, 2005). p. 61

17
 Chapter Three
Procurement
History
The British Armed forces had issued cartridge revolvers since 1872 and had Webley as their sole
supplier of interchangeable revolvers from 1890. Initial issue was made to the Royal Navy who held
large pistol stocks. The original Pistol Webley Mark I (Appendix: Image 1) was followed by the Mark
II (Appendix: Image 2) in 1894 and the Mark III (Appendix: Image 3) in 1897. Small in service
upgrades to the Mark I to bring it to Mark II standard raised it to Mark I* status. The Mk III was a
major change of cylinder mounting, but only a small production run. Prior to the Boer War the British
armed forces had procured approximately 62,000 Pistols Webley. 85

During the Boer War the Army took delivery of approximately 37,000 mainly Mark IV revolvers,
(Appendix: Image 4) a minor improvement on the Mark III, of which some were in the total, starting in
1899. All issue revolvers up to the Mark IV, were six shot, had 4” barrels with integral foresight, round
butt birds head grips and were chambered for the .455 cartridge. 86No significant orders were made
between the end of the Boer War and 1913.

Following the Boer War, the War Office and the Admiralty had observed the growing acceptance of
semi automatic pistols in various armies and navies, including Germany, Switzerland and the United
States of America. A number of British officers had carried Mauser C96 pistols during the South
African conflict and the type had experienced some commercial sales in the United Kingdom. The War
Office and the Admiralty therefore held a series of pistol trials at Enfield, Hythe and HMS Excellent.

A specification was proposed and a relatively large number of different types, including some later
developed successfully, were tested. It is, however, worth noting that no official requirement for semi
automatic pistols was ever issued in this period and that almost none of the pistols tried met the
proposed specification. The British Mars pistol received its only serious military trial and demonstrated
its unsuitable complexity and heavy recoil.

A number of concerns persisted through the trials. These can be summarised as suspicions over the
reliability of semi automatic pistols, together with worries over the perceived lack of stopping power and
robustness of safety. The last was an issue as a result of a naval accident of some years before, when a
dropped Enfield revolver discharged, killing its owner. Amongst the many tests conducted at the trials
the tested pistols were dropped in a cocked condition from a variety of heights onto different surfaces
and if the hammer or striker moved, the pistol was regarded as unsafe. Throughout the trials
comparisons were obviously made with the Webley Mark IV revolver, which was regarded as a good
man stopper, simple, accurate, reliable, safe and robust. It only showed less well when rapid-fire
accuracy and sustained fire were compared with semi automatics.

Few of the tested semi automatic pistols had excited much interest, save for a 1905 .45 ACP Colt design
and a .455 Webley, the latter eventually prevailing. As a result, the Royal Navy ordered a number of
Webley .455 Mark I N semi automatic pistols (Appendix: Image 5), commencing in 1912. They were
intended as an alternative issue to its revolvers, but not to supplant them, for service on vessels likely to
have close range engagements. The Army had decided on a larger scale trial of a similar pistol, fitted
with a long range 200 yard back sight, a manual safety lever, and an optional shoulder stock, for
potential arming of Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) batteries, instead of rifles (Appendix: Image 6). Just

85
G. Bruce & C Reinhart, Webley Revolvers (Zurich: Verlag-Stocker Schmidt, 1988), p.188
86
Bruce & Reinhart, Webley Revolvers, pp.177-203

18
under 500 of these pistols were produced, but the RHA decided against adopting them. Overall, through
the trials the British Armed Services had kept themselves aware of new weapons developments, tested
the latest designs, but had seen no major reason to change their issue pistol. 87

In an attempt to simplify a somewhat complicated story, Army procurement, Naval procurement and
private purchase during the War, will be examined in that order.

Army Procurement
On the outbreak of War the Army had various marks of Webley revolver on issue, but the Boer War
Mark IV predominated. Webley had bought back a number of Mark I and II pistols from the Army just
prior to the War. These were subject to a range of refurbishment as necessary and sold on to the trade.
Many dealers had then taken advantage of the outbreak of war to inflate prices, causing embarrassment
to Webley. 88 It seems highly likely that the Army had made earlier Marks than the III obsolescent before
the outbreak of the War. The Army had relatively few of these earlier Marks in comparison with the
Navy. There was a much higher degree of interchangeability between the Mark III and IV than with
earlier Marks, and this action would have made good logistic sense.

The Webley Mark V had been introduced in 1913 and was very similar to the Mark IV, but with a
slightly enlarged cylinder to cater for Nitro Proof. The space in the body and top strap were obviously
enlarged to give the room required. A contract for 22,000 was let, of which the last approximately 2,000
had the 6” barrel of the Mark VI, with which production overlapped (Appendix: Image 7). The
remainder had 4” barrels like the previous Marks. These pistols were priced at fifty nine shillings each,
but two shillings and sixpence extra was charged for the 6” barrel versions. 89Deliveries were in hand at
start of the War.

At the outbreak of war, munitions procurement was under the control of the Secretary of State for War,
Lord Kitchener. As the scale of the war, never before experienced by British forces, was realised, along
with the size of the armed forces envisaged by Kitchener, the equipment shortfall became apparent.
From May 1915 munitions procurement came under the Ministry of Munitions, set up under Lloyd
George, as a result of the shell shortage highlighted by the battle of Neuve Chapelle. Previous contracts
were taken over.

The Webley Mark VI was accepted into service in List of Changes (LoC) 17319 of 24 May 1915
although production had started at the end of April on an order dated 10 January. Its significant features
were a square butt, reinforcements on the barrel catch, a removable fore sight and a 6” barrel (Appendix:
Image 8). In many ways it can be regarded as a less well-finished version of the Company’s commercial
WS Army model. Its specification was altered during the War to reflect changes in British steel
standards. Following an initial issue with standard grips, small, medium (standard) and large grips were
issued late in the war. 90

The introduction of the Mark VI raises questions over its origins. Was it done, as one author has
pondered, to use machinery with little wear from production of commercial WS and Wilkinson models,
which had many similarities to the Mark VI, noted above, as opposed to Mark I-V making machinery,

87
P. Labbett, ‘British Semi Automatic Pistol Trials 1900-1914’, Guns Review (Aug, Sep, Oct 1964); E. Ezell Handguns of
the World: Military Pistols and Revolvers -1870 -1945 (London: Arms & Armour Press, 1981), pp. 487-504; and S.
Cuthbertson, World Wide Webley (Gabriola Island, Canada: Ballista Publishing, 1999), pp. 22-77
88
G. Bruce, Webley Semi Automatic Pistols (Zurich: Verlag-Stocker Schmidt, 1992), pp. 245 and 248
89
HMSO, Firms and Factories List. Orders for Machine Guns, Small Arms and Small Arms Ammunition (London, 1917)
90
A. W. F. Taylerson & W. H. J. Chamberlain, Revolvers of the British Services1854-1954 (Bloomfield Canada: Museum
Restoration Service, 1989), p. 29

19
with much wear? 91 Other authorities deny this, pointing out that the company was in a constant process
of replacing machinery, as required.

Webley’s overall Great War production of Mark V and VI was approximately 300,000 revolvers. The
revolver-making workforce expanded from 43 in 1914 to 74 in 1918. Weekly production rose from
approximately 500 to 1900 in the same period. 92 Webley, however, had initial problems with the scale
of manufacture required. The firm complained that it had lost many skilled workers to the armed forces
and this handicapped their manufacturing capacity. The firm also had a shortage of machinery, as new
equipment was on order, but had not materialised. They had turned all their available plant over to
revolver manufacture. Difficulties began to show in 1914, but in 1915 they were incapable of meeting
the demands from the government. However, despite these difficulties, from late 1916 onwards the
Webley Mark VI predominated as the issue Army pistol.

The shortages led to the Ministry of Munitions making purchases of .455 revolvers from Colt and Smith
& Wesson in America, and also from Spain. Colt had experience of selling its New Service Revolver
pre war in .455 calibre to the British market, often as target revolvers. 93 The Canadian Government had
purchased 943 Colt New Service revolvers in .45 Colt calibre during the Boer War, to arm some of their
cavalry. Even the British Government had purchased 150 in .455 calibre at the commencement of that
conflict, from Colt’s London agency. This was to cover a temporary shortage of pistols from Webley,
much to that firm’s chagrin. The Royal North West Mounted Police were issued with a mix, by Police
District, of either .45 or .455 New Service revolvers.

The type was therefore at least partially familiar to Empire forces. The model known to modern
collectors as the Improved New Service variant, manufactured from 1909, was sold during the Great
War. It was introduced into service in LoC 17463 dated 15 July 1915, as the Pistol Colt .455 inch with 5
½ inch barrel (Appendix: Image 9). It is difficult to ascertain total numbers of Colt revolvers purchased,
although there are records of specific contracts, including three for 10,000, 6550, and 12,000 pistols in
late 1916, 94 but not the full range. Known contracts total over 43,500 but the best production estimate
from the most authoritative source is 55,000, in contracts which were completed by October 1917. 95
Figures are possibly clouded by numbers sold as private purchase pistols, including from Army & Navy,
see below.

Smith & Wesson were given an initial contract for 5,000 of the so-called .44 Triple Lock Model
revolver, re chambered and re-barrelled for the .455 Mark 2 cartridge. These were known as .455 Hand
Ejector First Model to Smith & Wesson, and in British service as the Pistol Smith & Wesson .455 with
6½ inch barrel Mark 1, or Old Model (Appendix: Image 10). The third cylinder lock of this model,
operating in the revolver yoke, and readily identified by the lug encasing the ejector rod, was disliked by
the British authorities. The reason given is that the third lock was susceptible to blocking with mud or
debris, preventing the cylinder closing. The subsequent order did not have this feature, nor the obvious
ejector rod lug housing, together with some other minor manufacturing changes, probably brought in to
simplify construction. They were known to Smith & Wesson as .455 Hand Ejector Second Model and

91
Taylerson & W. Chamberlain, Revolvers of the British Services1854-1954 (Bloomfield Canada: Museum Restoration
Service, 1989), p. 29
92
Milner, Webley Commercial Production
93
B. Murphy, Colt New Service Revolvers (Aledo, USA: World Wide Gun Report, 1985), pp. 6-16
94
HMSO, Firms and Factories List. Orders for Machine Guns, Small Arms and Small Arms Ammunition (London, 1917)
95
B. Murphy, Colt New Service Revolvers (Aledo, USA: World Wide Gun Report, 1985), p. 17

20
to the British as the Mark2 or New Model (Appendix: Image 11). 96 These were introduced in LoC
17463 dated 5 July 1915, along with the Colt mentioned above.

The Canadians had made a major purchase of five thousand .45 ACP Colt Government Model (GM)
semi automatic pistols, through Colt, at the start of war. However, the Canadians seem to have
neglected to buy spare magazines for these pistols. An emergency purchase was made in January 1915
for 2.000 from the London Armoury Company, for Canadian forces in England, whilst supplies were
bought from Colt in America. 97 However, they also made major purchases of Smith & Wesson
revolvers, amounting to 14,500 of the produced total, predominantly the Mark II. This was a result of
British Government advice that revolvers were more reliable than semi automatic pistols in the muddy
conditions of the Western Front. 98

Smith & Wesson factory production concluded on 14 September 1916, 99 by which time the firm had
manufactured 74,755 Hand Ejectors of which 69,755 were reputedly Second Model. 100 British purchases
totalled some 59,000. All were shipped from the factory to the New York offices of Remington Union
Metallic Cartridge Company, who were the British Government purchasing agents, funded through J P
Morgan. Pistols were then shipped to either UK or Canada. Canada transferred some 7,000 S&W
revolvers and 1,500 Webley of various Marks to the United Kingdom in 1917 and 1918. 101

Pistols OP were purchased on contract from Spain, through the Eibar gun makers, Orbea Hermanos.
There is some discussion over whether Pistol OP stands for Pistols Old Pattern, Ordnance Pattern, or
Orbea Pattern? 102 Two principal makes have been identified, Garate Anitua as Pistols OP Mark I and
Tracaola y Aranzabal as Pistols OP Mark II, respectively (Appendix: Image 12). The differences
between the two Marks are relatively insignificant and principally in the grips. There are suspicions that
other makers produced some under contract. This is supported by the purchase of five hundred “.455
Calibre Heavy Blued London Proof (Smith & Wesson Pattern) revolvers” from Rexach and Urgioti in
August 1916. 103 The OP pistols were Spanish copies of an 1881 Smith and Wesson .44 hinge frame
design and were noted as non-interchangeable. Pistols OP were introduced in LoC 17555 of 8
November 1915

Many Pistols OP failed inspection on receipt at Enfield. Orbea were informed on 19 May 1916 that no
deliveries would be accepted after 31 July 1916. The design had a major fault in the lack of a cylinder
locking bolt. This can permit the weight of a half fired cylinder to make it fall to the bottom of its arc,
meaning an empty chamber could come under the hammer when the trigger is next pulled. 104 Quality
control and dimensional tolerances seem to have been poor and deliveries were slow. Surface finish was
not up to the high standards of the American revolvers. It is understood that 29,558 were delivered.

The withdrawal of Colt, Smith & Wesson and Webley pistols from units in UK was ordered in late
1916, to be replaced by Pistols OP and the withdrawn pistols to go to France. However, the Canadians
declined, saying that they had bought the Smith & Wesson pistols they were using for themselves. 105

96
R. J. Neal & R. G. Jinks, Smith & Wesson 1857-1945 A Handbook for Collector s (New York: R & R Books, 1996), pp.
214-216
97
Law, Canadian Military Handguns 1855-1985, pp. 34-37
98
Law, Canadian Military Handguns 1855-1985, pp.37-39
99
Law, Canadian Military Handguns 1855-1985, pp. 37-39
100
R.G. Jinks, History of Smith & Wesson (North Hollywood: Beinfeld , 1977), pp.201-203
101
TNA: MUN 4/2441
102
Maze, From Howdah to High Power, pp.93-94
103
HMSO, Firms and Factories List. Orders for Machine Guns, Small Arms and Small Arms Ammunition (London, 1917)
104
T. Mullin, The Worlds 100 GreatestCombat Pistols (Boulder, Colorado:Paladin Press, 1994), pp. 97-100
105
Law, Canadian Military Handguns 1855-1985(Bloomfield, Ontario: Museum Restoration Service, 1994), p. 39

21
What happened to the Pistols OP? Some appear to have been sold off to the gun trade. There is
evidence that others went to Ireland and a number to Australia. The Ministry of Munitions files in early
1916 discuss the potential sale of 6,000 failed inspection pistols to an ally, possibly Italy, by Messrs
Orbea. These would have been sold along with 3 million rounds of ammunition to be made by
Kynoch. 106 The Italians had a separate contract for nearly identical pistols from Orbea Hermanos in their
own 10.35mm calibre. 107 The files are incomplete, but there are indications that the Ally was less
concerned over the niceties of quality control and sale was perhaps approved.

The Ministry of Munitions conducted a survey in December 1915 of revolver supply as part of a
potential plan for one million pistols by early 1917. This involved a large new factory for Webley, but
the expense, requirement for skilled labour, jigs and tools seem to have ruled this out. Quotes were
obtained from Colt and Smith & Wesson as well as, with much scepticism, the Orbea concern. Tenders
were sought from Harrison & Richardson and Iver Johnson, in America, for .38 calibre revolvers.
However, the low price, between $3-28 and $4-60, in comparison with Smith & Wesson and Colt,
between $12 and $14, caused concerns over possible low quality. The offer was never taken up. 108

Early in the War the RFC were issued small quantities of the Webley .455 RHA semi automatic pistol
model, see above, which had not been adopted by the RHA, who took Webley revolvers instead. The
Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) were issued Webley Mark1 (N) semi automatics purchased by the
Navy. The Royal Flying Corps (RFC), later Royal Air Force, purchased Colt GM in .455 semi auto
(Appendix: Image 13), after problems obtaining additional Webley semi automatics. These, and all Colt
GM procured in the UK were commercial products, with a better quality finish, as opposed to military
issue pistols, as supplied to the United States government.

Two small deliveries of .455 Colt GM were made to London Armoury Company, Colts UK agents, in
July 1915 and January 1916. These were for a total of 600 pistols and are presumed to have been for
commercial sale, although the Ministry of Munitions bought 23 from The Army & Navy Co-operative
Society in March 1917. 109 Thereafter, from July 1916, regular small Government orders, totalling 2,200
pistols, were made until late 1917 through the London Armoury Company.

Colt then attempted to cease provision, because of its US Government commitments and only British
Government pressure restored the supply. At this stage the Government set up a direct contract with
Colt, instead of through the London Armoury Company. Another 5,000 pistols were supplied before the
Armistice and a further 5,000 afterwards, before the contract was cancelled in mid 1919. 110 All are said
to have been for the “Air Service”. There do not appear to have been any additional commercial or
private purchase sales. Total Colt production of GM in .455 is declared by the factory as 13,510 111.

There were never enough pistols for the Army. It is interesting to note correspondence between the War
Office and the Ministry of Munitions in the late summer of 1918. This complains of a shortage of at
least 20,000 revolvers, despite cutting requirements to a minimum. The consequences are listed,
amongst others, as the inability to equip units both abroad and at home, and the damaging effects on
training. Part of the reason given is the need to equip new tank, machine gun and air force units. The

106
TNA: MUN 4/2582
107
R. Muller, Gesichte und technik der Europaischer Militarrevolver (Journal Verlag Schwend Gmbh),pp. 500-501 and
533-534
108
TNA: MUN 4/2765
109
HMSO, Firms and Factories List. Orders for Machine Guns, Small Arms and Small Arms Ammunition (London, 1917)
110
C.W. Clawson, Colt.45” Government Models (Commercial Series) (Fort Wayne, USA: Clawson, 1996), pp.112-118
111
D. Bady, Colt Automatic Pistols (Alhambra, California: Borden Publishing, 1973), pp. 213-215

22
correspondence refers to a similar exchange of letters of July 1917 and of improvements to Webley
production since then. 112

Royal Navy Procurement

It would appear that the Royal Navy had earlier models of Webley revolvers, Marks I, I* and II at the
beginning of the War. These were subsequently upgraded, on repair, to Mark 1** and II ** using Mark
IV barrels and Mark V cylinders, authorised in LoC 17262 of 27 April 1915. They were authorised
subsequently to the same Mark I** and II **, but annotated “6 inch barrels” when modified with Mark
VI components, in LoC 17371 of 5 June 1915 (Appendix: Image 14). It should be noted that the Navy
does not appear to have received any Mark III, or V pistols. However, they do appear to have had some
Mark IV revolvers. 113

The Royal Navy had, as noted above, purchased Webley semi autos pre war, but had suffered delivery
problems when the War commenced. 114 An Australian purchase of some five hundred and twenty in
1913, initial deliveries of which had been made to HMAS Australia and Sydney in Portsmouth, had been
completed. 115.

Semi automatics had not been delivered after the summer of 1915 and Webley had outstanding orders
for 8,500 in January 1916. 116 The Royal Navy also did not receive Smith & Wesson and Colt revolvers
as these were for land service only, in LoC 17463.

The Ministry of Munitions was well aware of the naval need for pistols, despite the early 1915
rationalisation, noted above. There is correspondence in their files in January 1916 of attempts to
persuade the Royal Navy to accept a number of Smith & Wesson .38 revolvers from America, in lieu of
Webley semi-automatics. These revolvers were reputedly available within three weeks of ordering. 117
The lack of contracts, or any evidence of their being in service, would indicate that this never came to
pass. The Admiralty Technical Index and History makes no mention of them. It can be assumed
confidently that the Navy took delivery, belatedly, of Webley semi automatic pistols and made up the
shortfall with Webley revolvers instead. Deliveries of semi autos are indeed recorded in the Ministry of
Munitions files but appear to have ceased in late 1917. 118

The Royal Navy accepted into service small numbers of other different pistols. These included a total of
66 Webley Fosbery .455 semi automatic revolvers, purchased from the trade in June and December
1915, for the RNAS.(Appendix: Image 15) Similarly, two batches of 100 and 57 respectively, of.45
ACP Colt GM semi automatics, in March and August 1916, were bought with special 20 round
magazines supplied by Beesley, the London gunmaker, also for the RNAS. These would appear to be
the only British official purchases of Colt GM in .45 ACP calibre. 119

Other pistols were taken into service as part of the equipment of a number of foreign naval ships under
construction in British yards at commencement of the war that were commandeered into British service.
The pistols taken with them included ninety Smith and Wesson .38 revolvers from three Brazilian river

112
TNA: MUN 4/2441
113
The Admiralty Rifle and Field Exercises for HM Fleet 1913 (London: HMSO, 1913),p. 219
114
Admiralty Technical History Section Admiralty History and Technical Index 1921
115
Bruce Webley Semi Automatic Pistols, p.243
116
TNA: MUN 4/2767
117
TNA: MUN 4/2767
118
TNA: MUN 4/2767 and Bruce Webley Semi Automatic Pistols, p.243
119
Admiralty Technical History Section Admiralty History and Technical Index 1921.

23
monitors and fifty Browning 9mm Long calibre semi automatic pistols from a Turkish battleship. Both
sets of pistols included the ammunition provided by the trade for them. 120

Private Purchase
Prior to the War, officers had been expected to either purchase their revolver from a gunsmith, a military
outfitter, or from the Government. Purchase from the former two methods was known as private
purchase. The only stipulation was that the pistol should take the Government issue .455 revolver
cartridge, although this was ignored by some. The most common pistols under this scheme were
Webley commercial WG and WS models, Webley-Wilkinsons, and a small number of Webley Fosbery,
including one for Rudyard Kipling’s son, plus Colt revolvers and semi autos. If all the officers of the
BEF had their own pistols at commencement of the War, this would have meant in excess of 25,000
officers’ pistols. 121

The Webley commercial revolver products were often of a higher quality, particularly in terms of
external finish, than the service issue. Unlike the service issue pistols, many, if not most, private
purchase pistols were sold with 6” barrels as opposed to 4”. The Government issue Mark I to V could
also be purchased from Webley, with a different finish, including nickel plate, and with an optional
longer 6” barrel for the Marks III, IV and V. 122 Longer 7½ “barrels indicate specialised target revolvers,
of which probably only a handful went to war.

During the war, Webley records indicate that they only sold another 5,300 revolvers to private
purchasers. Approximately half of this quantity were Mark V, with some hundreds each of Mark 1,
Mark IV and Mark VI, plus smaller quantities of other commercial WS and Wilkinson types. The Mark
I revolvers were undoubtedly the refurbished ex military stock, as mentioned above. The Mark IV and
commercial types were probably already in stock. 123Collectors report that pistols within the serial
number range do not follow strict Mark configuration, indicating the problems of 1915 production.

There are strong suspicions that many of the later private purchase revolvers were pistols that had failed
Government inspection, normally for minor gauging infringements and been diverted to commercial
sales. Webley records state that some 1,500 “Privates”, Mark VI, were however produced in 1916. It
has been suggested that this might have occurred when Webley were ahead on delivery of their
Government orders, 124but more probably this was a book keeping exercise to record the ultimate fate of
failed inspection pistols. Webley sold private purchase Mark VI revolvers for sixty-six shillings each.

The supply of Colt pistols was through the London Armoury Company, purveying to trade retailers such
as the Army & Navy Cooperative Society, who were major sellers to military and naval personnel,
principally to officers. It has been estimated that Army & Navy sold at least a quarter of private
purchase pistols. Although the London Armoury Company records have been destroyed, those of Army
& Navy survive and can be viewed. Army & Navy sold approximately 1,000 Colt New Service
revolvers between 1914 and 1917. 125

At least 4,200 .45 ACP Colt GM semi automatics were supplied to UK between 1912 and April 1919 for
commercial sales. Many of these were purchased by officers, including Winston Churchill. 126 Colt had

120
A.O. Edwards, British Secondary Smallarms Parts 4 (London: 2009), p. 41-43
121
Maze, From Howdah to High Power, pp. 65-78
122
Bruce & Reinhart, Webley Revolvers, pp. 177-205
123
Milner Webley Commercial Production (Privately produced)
124
Milner Webley Commercial Production (Privately produced)
125
Mullin, Colt New Service Revolver, pp. 73-74
126
Clawson, Colt.45” Government Models, p.111

24
also shipped several hundred of their 1900 and 1902 Model .38ACP semi automatic pistols before and
during the war, but exact numbers are uncertain. Many were intended for other than British markets but
undoubtedly several had been purchased by Army officers. 127 Interestingly, Webley had also sold a
small number of semi automatics in this calibre, including one to Field Marshal Haig.

A small quantity, approximately 100, of Smith and Wesson .455 Mark 1 revolvers were sold through the
London gun trade in 1914, imported through the Wilkinson Sword Company and sold by them. 128 As
noted above, some of the failed inspection Pistols OP also found their way into the trade and were sold
as private purchase.

As the War progressed the purchase of pocket semi automatic pistols in .320 and .380 became popular.
These have always been assumed to be of Colt, Savage and Browning manufacture as they had been the
principal brands before the War. The sales of Browning would have been small however, because there
were none in production after August 1914 when the Germans captured Liege. Siegfried Sassoon
bought a Colt from the Army and Navy in the spring of 1916 that “wasn’t warranted to stop a man, but
could be slipped into a pocket”. 129 T.E. Lawrence notes his requirement for both Colt and Savage
pistols in a “shopping list“ he produced in Arabia in July 1917 (Appendix: Image 18). 130

The Sporting Goods Review notes:

It is quite usual now for an officer to arm himself not only with the Webley .455 service revolver
but also with an automatic pistol of about .32 calibre. The latter weapon, owing to its
compactness and comparative lightness, is found to be very handy for carrying in the pocket
during night patrolling. With a couple of spare magazines the officer can provide himself with
practically all the ammunition he is likely to require during his spell of duty. 131
The main attraction of these pistols is that they would fit more easily into a pocket than a service
revolver. A semi automatic pistol is also easier to load in the dark with a magazine, than a revolver with
loose cartridges.

According to the recognised authority, Colt pocket pistols (Appendix: Image 16), which seem to have
been in the vast majority, were mainly in .32 and supplies were in thousands to London Armoury
Company. 132 However, Army & Navy sold slightly more .380 than .32 pistols, over 400 pistols in each
case. 133 Various sources quote “problems of reliability with semi automatic pistols”, but some hint that
lack of stopping power with small calibre (.32 or .380) pistols is more likely. 134 There is no evidence of
wartime official orders of .38 ACP, .380 and .32 Colt semi auto pistols, only post war for the pocket
pistols during the Irish problems, but wartime ammunition purchases were made for all three calibres,
see above.

Restrictions were imposed on private purchase from the trade later in the War. Pistol sales of service
calibre weapons to officers were initially licensed. From March 1917 dealers holding stocks of
.450/.455 Webley, Colt and Smith & Wesson pistols had to inform the Ministry of Munitions of them,

127
Sheldon, Colts .38 Automatic Pistols (Willernie, Minnesota, USA: Sheldon, 1987), pp. 62,118 and 152
128
Neal & Jinks, Smith and Wesson 1857-1945 A Handbook for Collectors, p. 203
129
S. Sassoon, Memoirs of an Infantry Officer (London: Faber & Faber, 1931), pp. 38-39
130
M. Brown, Lawrence of Arabia ,the Life ,the Legend (London: Thames & Hudson and Imperial War Museum, 2005 ), p
74.
131
Sporting Goods Review, 15 June 1916
132
J. W. Brunner, The Colt Pocket Hammerless Automatic Pistols (Williamstown, New Jersey: Phillips Publications, 1996),
p. 98, plus private correspondence Thomas/Brunner
133
Army & Navy Cooperative Society Extracts of Gun Sale Ledgers
134
Tracy, Service Revolver, pp. 11-14

25
with a view to sale to that organisation. Disposals of pistols from officers invalided from the Army had
to be made to the same Ministry.

From May 1917 all commercial sales of such pistols were prohibited and other calibre pistols only
permitted for sale by licence. 135 Effectively from May 1917, officers appear to have purchased their
service pistols, on prepayment, from the Government and private purchase of them ceased. This was
largely because the Government, short of pistols, as noted above, could not afford any to be diverted
from its highest priority needs.

Overall Numbers
The approximate scales of use of the various pistols, including private purchase, to the nearest thousand
is:
Webley Mark VI 280,000
Webley MarkI-IV 60,000? Estimate including pre war stock.
Smith and Wesson 66.000
Colt NS 55.000
Pistols OP 30,000
Webley Mark V 22,000
Colt GM Semi Auto 18,000
Webley Semi Auto 8,000
Webley Commercial revolvers 5.000
Colt Semi Auto other than GM 5,000 Estimate
Total 549, 000

Webley revolvers, particularly the Mark VI, made up the majority, approximately two thirds, of pistols.
Smith & Wesson were the next largest supplier. As regards Government purchase of semi automatic
pistols, Colt are in the majority, with Webley in second place. An estimate of private purchase is that
these amounted to less than 10% of the total and not a significant proportion of the total. Amongst these
Webley revolvers predominate with Colt pistols and revolvers in second place.

Conclusions

The British military services made considerable use of the pistol during the Great War and on a far
greater scale than is normally appreciated. The pistol was often utilised as a secondary defensive arm,
for which its characteristics made it highly suitable. It was issued particularly to arm the Machine Gun
Corps, the Royal Flying Corps and the Tank Corps in this role. On avalable evidence, it appears to
have been regarded favourably for that task Pistols were used successfully by a variety of personnel,
both offensively for such activities as trench raids, and defensively, on a number of recorded occasions,
often as the weapon of choice.

High standards of training and technique would appear to have been critical for success and this was
realised by those in authority. Following a low standard at start of the war, much improved safety,
shooting and tactical skills wee taught, through a practical programme, which developed good combat
shots. Captain Charles Tracy would appear to be the instigator of this effort.

Despite insuufficient pistol stocks at commencement of the war, with the odd minor exception, quality
standards were maintained during subsequent procurement. However, numbers were never entirely

135
Sporting Goods Review, 17 March and 17 May 1917

26
sufficient. Towards the end of the war only the Webley Mark VI revolver, for the vast majority, and the
Colt GM semi automatic pistol, for minor Royal Air Force use, were supplied to troops. Both were well
regarded types.. The less efficient system of private purchase for officers had been stopped. Unlike
some other weapon systems, there was never a problem with ammunition uupply.

By the end of the war the use, issue, technique, training and procurement of the pistol had expanded and
improved considerably from limited beginnings, accelerating particularly in the latter half of the war.
As such, they mirrored successfully many other aspects of the British armed forces in their capability
leap between 1914 and 1918, often so ill perceived.

27
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32
 Appendix

Image 1 Webley Mark I Image 2 Webley Mark II

Image 3 Webley Mark III Image 4 Webley Mark IV

Image 5 Webley Mark I (N) Image 6 Webley RHA

33
Image 7 Webley Mark V (6” barrel) Image 8 Webley Mark VI

Image 9 Colt New Service Image 10 S&W Mark I

Image 11 S & W Mark 2 Image 12 Pistol OP

34
 Image 13 Colt GM .455 Image 14 Webley Mark II**

Image 15 Webley Fosbery Image 16 Colt 1903 Pocket pistol

35
Image 17 Prideaux Loader

36
 Image 18 T.E. Lawrence Shopping List

Acknowledgements
Firstly thanks are due to Richard Milner for the pistol photographs, well beyond my capability to
produce. Secondly sincere thanks in particular to David Penn, Ian Patrick and Richard and Molly
Milner, for all their assistance. Without their advice, knowledge, patience and help, this would have
been a much more difficult task. Thirdly thanks for all the specialist assistance of:
John Bourne
John Brunner
Clifford Bryant
Peter Elliott
David Fletcher
David Harding
Infantry & Small Arms School Corps Weapons Collection
Stanley Jenkins
Stephen King
Derek Marrison
Tim Mullin
Edward Purvis
Fergus Read
Andy Robertshaw
Phillip Robinson
Mike Seed
Emma Thomas
Rob Thompson
Liza Verity
The late Herb Woodend

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