Deactivated Dunkirk era British Dovetail Bren gun MK1 1939 Dated

Dunkirk era, British made Dovetail Bren gun MK1, manufactured by Enfield in 1939. Fitted with correct stock, dial sight and adjustable bi-pod legs and MKI barrel. These early Brens were manufactured with a distinctive dovetail slot to fit a dial sight. Many were taken to France during the battle of France by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) but were later abandoned on the beaches of Dunkirk during one of the most famous evacuations of the war between May and June of 1940. This event lead Winston Churchill to make one of his most famous and emotive speeches of WWII ("We will fight them on the beaches"). This particular example bears 2 sets of inspection stamps - the first 1939 dated from initial manufacture, then a later 1946 stamp indicating it was one of the mere 4000 guns of the original 30,000 produced which survived the Dunkirk landings and was recoverable upon the return of the BEF to Britain, making this a rare survivor! Interestingly the regimental brass buttstock disc suggests this Bren ended its service life with the Royal Engineers, with the acronym "C.T" possibly meaning "Combat Team" - During WW2 each Royal Engineer section would be issued with a single Bren along with a Sten and 10 Lee Enfield bolt action rifles as part of the defense of the combat engineer section. The Royal Engineers played a vital part in Dunkirk on Operation Dynamo, destroying bridges vital to the German advance to buy time for the evacuation of the BEF as well as II Corps acting as flank guard against the German penetration where the Belgian Army had surrendered

Deactivated with a working action.