"Personal weapons"

[Muerrisch]

That's significantly different from "it could not have happened" of course.

[MikB]

That's significantly different from "it could not have happened" of course.

You think so?

[593jones]

I seem to remember reading in Stuart Cloete's autobiography A Victorian Son, that he bought a small calibre pistol (.32?) writing that it was for ending his live if he was left badly wounded in no-man's-land, Cloete said he could not face using his Webley on himself. Can't find my copy of the book to check the details, but I'm sure I have it correct.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

I seem to remember reading in Stuart Cloete's autobiography A Victorian Son, that he bought a small calibre pistol (.32?) writing that it was for ending his live if he was left badly wounded in no-man's-land, Cloete said he could not face using his Webley on himself. Can't find my copy of the book to check the details, but I'm sure I have it correct.

Renowned poet, author and WW1 Officer Siegfried Sassoon confides in his book ' Memoirs of an Infantry Officer ' that he purchased a smaller calibre pistol to use on himself in the event that he was badly wounded in No-Man's Land, here is his quote .............

" I was weary of my Colt revolver, with which I knew I couldn't hit anything, although I had blazed it off a few times in the dark when I was pretending to be important in No-Man's Land. The only object I could be sure of hitting was myself.But it wasn't simply the inaccuracy of the revolver as an offensive weapon which troubled Sassoon. Like many others, he was appalled by the prospect of a slow death "lying out in a shell-hole with something more serious than a Blighty wound". In such circumstances, he reasoned, it would be necessary to end it all quickly, while "to blow one's brains out with that clumsy Colt was unthinkable". With this grim prospect in mind, Sassoon purchased a 7.62mm ( .32 ) Browning semi-automatic from the London branch of the Army and Navy Stores in March 1916, on his way back from leave to France. "

Small calibre private purchase pistols were used by British Officers during WW1, here is an example from my own Firearms Collection of a British Officer's 1916 .32 calbre Harrington & Richardson Type 1 semi-automatic pistol and rig.

Regards,

LF

2

[593jones]

Renowned poet, author and WW1 Officer Siegfried Sassoon confides in his book ' Memoirs of an Infantry Officer ' that he purchased a smaller calibre pistol to use on himself in the event that he was badly wounded in No-Man's Land, here is his quote .............

" I was weary of my Colt revolver, with which I knew I couldn't hit anything, although I had blazed it off a few times in the dark when I was pretending to be important in No-Man's Land. The only object I could be sure of hitting was myself.But it wasn't simply the inaccuracy of the revolver as an offensive weapon which troubled Sassoon. Like many others, he was appalled by the prospect of a slow death "lying out in a shell-hole with something more serious than a Blighty wound". In such circumstances, he reasoned, it would be necessary to end it all quickly, while "to blow one's brains out with that clumsy Colt was unthinkable". With this grim prospect in mind, Sassoon purchased a 7.62mm ( .32 ) Browning semi-automatic from the London branch of the Army and Navy Stores in March 1916, on his way back from leave to France. "

Small calibre private purchase pistols were used by British Officers during WW1, here is an example from my own Firearms Collection of a British Officer's 1916 .32 calbre Harrington & Richardson Type 1 semi-automatic pistol and rig.

Regards,

LF

2

Hmm, I wonder if I'm confusing Cloete with Sassoon in my post, it is quite some time since I read either. May have had a senior moment there!

[Khaki]

Interesting quote LF, I have always wondered about the amount of revolver training British officers received compared to other ranks rifle training, its not that difficult to achieve an acceptable standard of accuracy even after one or two training sessions.

khaki

[Khaki]

Interesting quote LF, I have always wondered about the amount of revolver training British officers received compared to other ranks rifle training, its not that difficult to achieve an acceptable standard of accuracy even after one or two training sessions.

khaki

My wife had never fired any weapon rifle or revolver before and this is her first target at 25 yards using a K frame S&W in .38 special. I have heard comments all my life such as 'you couldn't hit the side of a barn', which is absolute nonsense, now as in 1914 its all about training. If anyone hasn't read it before there is an excellent book "A rifleman went to war" about an American who served as an officer in the GW Canadian army. He has a bit to say about side arms use.

(k)