trenchtrotter Posted 6 September , 2013 Share Posted 6 September , 2013 Would a Lewis gunner / MGC soldier carry a bayonet? If not where would he attach the wooden handle for his personal issue entrenching tool? I have seen images of soldiers with P14 equipment adapted for pistol issue and they have the entrenching tool head and carrier and also the handle but if no bayonet frog did they attach the leather harness for the handle directly to a free strap from the braces / belt? Thanks TT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 6 September , 2013 Share Posted 6 September , 2013 Would a Lewis gunner / MGC soldier carry a bayonet? If not where would he attach the wooden handle for his personal issue entrenching tool? I have seen images of soldiers with P14 equipment adapted for pistol issue and they have the entrenching tool head and carrier and also the handle but if no bayonet frog did they attach the leather harness for the handle directly to a free strap from the braces / belt? In theory a set of Pistol Order equipment shouldn't have a bayonet carried with it, so instead of carrying the helve for the entrenching tool alongside the bayonet scabbard it was carried in the now-empty bayonet frog instead. In practice it seems that some men with Pistol Order carried bayonets - a body was recovered a number of years ago that still had a holstered Webley AND a scabbarded bayonet with it, and it was common enough to be depicted on the 11th Bn MGC Christmas card in 1918: http://postimg.org/image/4szd0lifh/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 6 September , 2013 Share Posted 6 September , 2013 Knew I had some pictures on the forum, posts 16 onward show how the helve is normally carried in the bayonet frog with pistol order: http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=65794 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchtrotter Posted 6 September , 2013 Author Share Posted 6 September , 2013 Andrew, Excellant response. Thanks. Love the Christmas Card. Regards TT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 7 September , 2013 Share Posted 7 September , 2013 Andrew, Excellant response. Thanks. Love the Christmas Card. I feel I should point out it isn't mine, but was originally posted by High Wood on the Christmas Card thread some time ago, post 84 in this case: http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=157541&page=4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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