Tag Archives: british sniper

Ulster Glider Marksman

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80 Years Ago: 29 August 1942. A sniper with British glider troops. He was with the 1st Battalion, The Ulster Rifles, 1st Airborne Division.

(By War Office official photographer LT Spender. Imperial War Museum photo H23360)

The Irish unnamed marksman is aiming one of the very first No. 4 MK.I (T) sniper rifles made and issued. This one was made from an early 1930s Trials No. 4 MK. I made and converted by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield. Note the extra sling swivel on the upper band, the “wasp-waist” early version of the Mark I foresight protector, and the magazine cut-off. The scope will be a No. 32 MK. I.

World War II British No. 4 MKI (T) Enfield Sniper Rifle with Matching Scope, via RIAC

As for the unit, The Ulster Rifles was formed during the 1881 reforms originally as two infantry regiments (83rd and 86th Regiments of Foot) which fought in South Africa, India, and in France during the Great War.

An interwar post-Free State recruiting poster advertised “free clothes on joining. Free food and lodging. Free medical attention. Games and sports of every kind” along with images of boxing and sitting around a canteen.”

Recruiting poster printed by Gale and Polden Limited, 1922 (c) for the Royal Ulster Rifles. This regiment was formed in 1881 as the Royal Irish Rifles by merging two Irish line infantry regiments, the 83rd and 86th Regiments of Foot, but Irish independence in 1922 led to two changes. ‘Irish’ was changed into ‘Ulster’ and it lost one of its recruiting counties, Louth, which became part of the Free State. Its other two counties, Antrim and Down, were in Northern Ireland and so the regiment survived Irish independence. NAM. 1983-11-138-1

When WWII hit, the 1st Battalion was recalled from the North West Frontier of India in 1939 and retrained for landings by glider. It went on to fight in that role in Tunisia in 1942, Sicily in 1943, Normandy in June 1944, and the Rhine crossings in 1945.

The regiment continued in British Army service until 1968, when it was amalgamated with the two other Northern Irish (Ulster) infantry regiments, The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria’s) and The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, to form The Royal Irish Rangers (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd and 87th).

A Canadian highlander picking his shots in spaghetti land

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Private J.E. McPhee of (Canadian) Seaforth Highlanders, Foiano, Italy, 6 October 1943– 74 years ago today.

A sniper, McPhee is equipped with the excellent Lee Enfield No. 4 Mk. 1 (T). Chosen for accuracy, reworked, rebedded and custom stocked by Holland & Holland, these rifles and their 3.5x fixed scope were considered by many to be the best sniper rifles of the WWII era. The design, reworked in 7.62x51mm NATO in the 1960s, persisted as the L42A1 and remained in service with the British well through the 1990s.

An excellent example of a late-WWII British Enfield No.4 Mk I (T) sniper rifle fitted with the correct and matching No 32 MKIII scope that is marked on top of the tube “TEL.STG.No 32 MKII/O.S. 2039 A/A.K&S No17285/1944/broad arrow”, with the rings numbered 12 on the rear set with 13 and 15 on the front set. The mounting bracket is stamped with the matching serial number (E34422), and the scope number is correctly stamped on top of the pistol grip in front of the cheekpiece.with matching No. 8 Mark I metal scope can numbered to match the rifle and scope. Via RIA

As for the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, they endure today as a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army based in Vancouver, BC; as a part of 39 Canadian Brigade Group, 3rd Canadian Division. They recently served in Afghanistan, where no doubt their snipers came in very handy.

This guy needs a wheelbarrow

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Crown Copyright

Crown Copyright

British army sniper with a.338 Lapua caliber Accuracy International AWM complete with a Schmidt & Bender 5-25×56 (MoD designation L115A3) rifle deploying on a mission in Afghanistan. Coming standard with a suppressor, these 20-pound+ beasts can reach well out to 2,000m and count coup on adjacent hilltops, with the round reaching the target before the sound of the supersonic crack does.

You can look at his weapon and note the “come ups” for ballistics MOA adjustments written on buttstock in sharpie and just four spare 5-round mags in his plate carrier. Though he likely has a few boxes of rounds in his bergen as well as any number of other weapons about his person and that of his spotter(s).

This Tommy, though thousands of miles from the UK, is likely close to home as you can tell from the Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) patch on his right arm. Also note the service number on said patch and on his knee pads along with blood type. Good for his mates, he is a universal donor (O+). Bad for him though.