Quiet Man. British Officers in WW One had the option of purchasing their own side arms from commercial dealers, or could acquire same from military stores, if available. Most officers owned their sidearms & swords, as bought from dealers. In WW Two, the majority of officers were issued sidearms by the military, as few had their own and available civilian source were soon exhausted. In the Korean war, the British and Canadian officers I knew usually had issued Webley & Enfield revolvers, with an occasional S&W or Colt Model 1917. Ed.