British Contract Colt New Service .455 Webley WWI Revolver/AEF service

[varifleman]

Here for your viewing pleasure is Colt New Service .455 Eley (Webley) revolver serial number 126149 which was 1 of 500 shipped to the London Armoury Company on December 26, 1916. It had an interesting service life with British Army markings, C154 marking (maybe rack number) and AEF marking on butt plate. The close-up photos to show close-up of AEF (American Expeditionary Forces) and faint US flag cartouches on grip and British military crossed pennants and broad arrow markings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Boy Howdy]

Nice revolver.

Just curious-what do you put in the lettering to make it stand out?

[kwill]

How/why would it have gone from British to American forces?

[Salvage Sailor]

Aloha, Nice Colt Eley New Service

 

Interesting that the grips were changed to wood from the Colt factory grips.  I have my Grandfathers .455 Eley Colt New Service with all the British proof marks & two (2) boxes of British .455 1942 ammunition.  He bought & registered it in Singapore and brought it back when he evaded the Japanese invasion.  (American in the Straits Settlements managing the Goodyear rubber plantation).  He's wearing it on his hip below.

 

 

[varifleman]

(From "Borrowed Soldiers, Americans Under British Command , 1918 " by Mitchell A.Yockelson) When General Pershing was asked by the British and the French to amalgamate small units of American soldiers into his allies armies to relieve their depleted manpower, he refused, as he and President Wilson believed that only through the actions of a separate and autonomous American army could the United States achieve its political and diplomatic goals. Pershing accommodated the British by "loaning" them the 27th and the 30th Infantry Divisions, organized into II Corps. This book is the story of those divisions, how they were raised, trained and fought under British and Australian tutelage. The AEF soldiers were equipped with British small arms and accoutrements and that's probably how this revolver wound up with the AEF. The lettering stood out like that when I acquired the revolver. Great family history Salvage Sailor.

[varifleman]

George:  You have a wonderful example of the Colt .455 model.  The markings leave no doubt it was issued to members of the AEF.  Do you have any specific questions for us to research?

 

Jerry Schmidt, volunteer

Edward Jones Research Center Attendant

National World War I Museum and Memorial

2 Memorial Drive| Kansas City, MO | 64108

Desk: 816-888-8142

[email protected]

 

[Matt_X]

On 1/7/2023 at 2:27 PM, Boy Howdy said:

Nice revolver.

Just curious-what do you put in the lettering to make it stand out?

Some methods are discussed in this thread in the CMP "How To" section.

I can't say this if one or any are the method used on this revolver, but probably something in a similar vein was done.

http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=247616