I have kept one; it's particularly interesting because it carries British proof marks. Whether it was lend-lease or not, I haven't a clue. Somewhere along the line it got repatriated.
John
After the Battle of France was lost, Dunkirk was evacuated in May and early June. The Brits and French had literally been pushed to the beach, and all troops that were leaving had left by June 4. Tens of thousands of French troops had to surrender because they could not be evacuated.
Britain had to assume invasion was iminent.
As Sir Winston said in the last paragraph of his speech to the House of Commons on June 4, 1940:
"I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty's Government-every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation. The British Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength. Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old."
If you have never read this speech, READ it.
If you can find a recording in Churchill's voice, LISTEN to it.
Dear Lord, could any man give a better speech than Sir Winston?
With that background laid, the point of all this-
Roosevelt ordered that "surplus" WW I weapons be sold to Britain.
Some were:
A total of 500 of the Model 1899 Navy 38 M&P's and Model 1902 Navy M&P's
20,000 Model 1917's
You will see all 3 models occasinally from this sale.
They were delivered between June and Sept, 1940.
So, when you see one, you KNOW you are looking at an S&W that saw The Battle of Britain!
