Farquhar Hill Pattern 1918 rifle

[JFC Fuller]

This weapon has a very long history and participated in and failed multiple trials through 1908 to the early 1920s. it started life as a self loading rifle and appears to have evolved into a light machine gun. However the closes it got to entering service was 1918. After numerable trials a version with a 19 round drum magazine, metal hand guard and a vertical fore grip. Chambered in .303 this weapon was not unlike the Browning BAR in terms of basic configuration. I have seen claims that 100,000 were planned and that the National Rifle Factory Number 1 (formerly Standard Small Arms) was, in June 1918, ordered prepare to begin manufacturing components for the weapon. It seems that approximately £50,000 was spent on the programme but after the Armistice this was written off and production cancelled. The weapon did not fare well after the war and came third in the last set of trials in which it participated. There appears to have been a perception (likely true) that even once perfected it was still to complicated and fragile.

However this raises the first of two questions, surely the weapon must have been regarded as at least service ready for some use or it would not have entered production in 1918, after all the production capacity could be much better used on things other than dodgy rifles. Especially with the Lewis gun entering service in large numbers alongside the existing Vickers and Hotchkiss???

The second question that I have not been able to answer is exactly what it was, some sources say that it was a light machine gun and others say it was just self loading. Certainly the pre-war prototypes were semi-automatic but the use of a metal hand guard and 19 round drum magazine as well as the later participation in the post war light machine gun trials suggest the Pattern 1918 may have been a fully automatic weapon???

A couple of interesting pictures here: http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/weapons-technology-equipment/25068-british-semi-automatic-infantry-rifles-2.html

and here: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=hLBTkNZ8U44C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[Firefly 2]

I couldn't quite see the pics on the WW2talk forum, found this one instead.
It's the top gun.

Original location: http://www.nps.gov/spar/historyculture/experimental-semi-automatic-rifles-at-sa-1900-1919.htm

 

[JFC Fuller]

Thanks for picture, as I understand it those pictures are of a weapon that was trialed in the US in 1917 and may not be the final variant as adopted for Great british production in 1918 though I would imagine that it is not far off.

The weapon seems to have been called the 'Rifle, .303 inch, Pattern 1918' which would effectively confirm that it was a semi-auto platform.

I have found a fascinating piece, including pictures, about the Farquhar-Beardmore machine gun. It describes a truly remarkable weapon: http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/MG/I/MG-4.html

In the national archives there are some documents that describe how the Farquhar-Hill developed from a relatively light-weight weapon into the heavy looking beast seen above. Also interesting are some of the alternatives that were supposedly also under development in Britain at the time. I have not heard of any of these previously:

1) Enfield Gas Operated Rifle: this was supposedly under development at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield prior to the outbreak of war, the document is suggestive that a model may have been built in .276 (the replacement for the .303 that was under development prior to the outbreak of war) as well as .303. Apparently development was restarted in 1918.

2) Vickers Automatic (gas-operated) Rifle: this was "in hand" at Crayford and was said to be in its second incarnation and ready for preliminary trials.

3) Mr Ashton's proposal to convert the 1914 rifle to automatic loading; Mr Ashton apparently stated that this was almost complete

4) Westley Richard's version of Mr Eastwick's Automatic rifle mechanism- said to have been within three or four weeks of completion

 

[kaiserbill]

JFC, if it's roughly the same as what you are are talking about, there were quite a few commonwealth developments for a semi-auto 303 Lee-Enfield rifle.
These were around the WW2 timeframe though, and I see you are talking of a Lee Enfield rifle in the WW1 timeframe.

Was this to be a conversion of the existing service rifle, like the others were, or a new design?

 

[JFC Fuller]

kaiser, these are around 1918. Most of these appear to be new designs rather than conversions, though using the .303 cartridge.

 

[kaiserbill]

Thanks.

I was sure you were fully aware anyway of the various later attempts to turn the standard 303 service rifle into a semi auto or full auto, but sought clarity for my own, slow mind.

This has piqued my interest, I must admit, if they were new designs.

 

[dogsbody]

http://youtu.be/oXpgJ4JydN4

 

[JFC Fuller]

So I have found he following document in the UK National Archives, unfortunately I will not be able to view it for some time:

GENERAL AND WARLIKE STORES: Small Arms (Code 45(J)): Reports and trials on Enfield pattern automatic rifle

It is WO 32/9088 and at first glance would appear to correspond to the Enfield Gas Operated Rifle I mentioned earlier.

 

[kaiserbill]

So I have found he following document in the UK National Archives, unfortunately I will not be able to view it for some time:

GENERAL AND WARLIKE STORES: Small Arms (Code 45(J)): Reports and trials on Enfield pattern automatic rifle

It is WO 32/9088 and at first glance would appear to correspond to the Enfield Gas Operated Rifle I mentioned earlier.

Forgive me here, JFC, but is the serial date related?
In other words, could they be talking about the various service model Enfield 303's modifications to turn it into a semi-auto instead?
Like the Charlton, Howell, Rieder, and Elkins variants?

I hope not, and that this does indeed pertain to the original WW1 prototype as discussed earlier.
If so, well done, and I hope you get to view it sooner rather than later. After the earlier discussion, I scoured all the books in my library, and spent a couple of hours on the internet, but was unable to find anything at all on the Enfield Gas Operated Rifle, nor the Vickers Automatic (gas-operated) Rifle.

 

[Rickshaw]

British Army interest in semi-automatic firearms dates back to the review undertaken after the 2nd Boer War. They looked seriously at several designs, including the Mondragon just before the outbreak of WWI. The plan was, after the experience of the 2nd Boer War to re-equip the Army with a semi-automatic rifle, in a new calibre (.276in?) but the outbreak of war put an end to that plan.

 

[JFC Fuller]

British Army interest in semi-automatic firearms dates back to the review undertaken after the 2nd Boer War. They looked seriously at several designs, including the Mondragon just before the outbreak of WWI. The plan was, after the experience of the 2nd Boer War to re-equip the Army with a semi-automatic rifle, in a new calibre (.276in?) but the outbreak of war put an end to that plan.

Correct, but I had never realised the scale of the effort to go semi-auto until I started looking for files in the archives. There appear to have been multiple trials and committees with a large number of designs considered. I also had no idea that RSA Enfield was working on an in-house effort. All this work was then dug-up again in the latter part of WW1.

Also, the REME museum has a 1909 version of the Farquhar Hill design, this is probably very similar to the first weapons sent to France for trials.: http://www.rememuseum.org.uk/collections_view.aspx?id=151

In addition, the Forgotten Weapons video references the awkwardness of loading the magazine, in the file I saw this issue is also noted and there appears to have been two separate drum magazine designs (a latter one being much preferred to the first) and the ability to load the magazine whilst it was attached to the gun using standard Enfield chargers was also added.

This is the exact text on the RSA Enfield design in the document I found in the National Archives:

1. The Enfield gas-operated rifle. The Royal Small Arms Factory produced successively, before the war, a model of .303 Automatic, and two different models for the .276 calibre. It was engaged on a revised version of the .276 when the outbreak of war occurred. The Factory has, in the last 12 months, taken up the question again, and has engaged on a .303 model which is now complete enough to begin its preliminary firing.

It may be said (1) that this rifle has behind it a considerable body of experience, and (2) that its magazine and feed are on the lines asked for by France.

This is a particularly fascinating document, I would have loved to have seen the accompanying lecture: http://www.slideshare.net/tcattermo...atic-rifle-trials-a-lecture-to-the-hbsa-of-gb

 

[Firefly 2]

Fascinating stuff. Thanks you all.

 

[ArtosStark]

Hi @JFC Fuller. Obviously it has been some time but I am curious if you were ever able to find any more information on this subject?

I am personally interested in the automatic weapon trials process. I have heard reference to the F-H being trialed in 1913 and/or 1915 and being rejected possibly because it had a tendency to foul. I am unsure if this was the same weapon or if the design had been updated between the two. I have also seen reference to RNAS pilots using 1915 models with wooden furniture. Not sure on the validity of this either. It does seem to be accepted that the F-H was trialed again in 1917 and accepted as suitable for military service with 100,000 ordered. But I wonder what changes may have been made since 1913/1915 to make it so? And if this acceptance meant it beat out the other rifles you have mentioned in trial or if it was simply ready early enough that they picked the F-H? And if so, what deficiencies were observed in the other rifles?

I did find this reference from the National Archives (https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3267326) in the Ministry of Munitions section (MUN 4/2410) labeled RIFLES: Farquhar-Hill and other automatic rifles. Since I am not in the UK I can't get access myself, but if you are still looking into this it might be of interest to you.

Its an interesting bit of firearms history of which their is only a limited amount of information available.

 

[SirCoutin]

Hi @JFC Fuller. Obviously it has been some time but I am curious if you were ever able to find any more information on this subject?

I am personally interested in the automatic weapon trials process. I have heard reference to the F-H being trialed in 1913 and/or 1915 and being rejected possibly because it had a tendency to foul. I am unsure if this was the same weapon or if the design had been updated between the two. I have also seen reference to RNAS pilots using 1915 models with wooden furniture. Not sure on the validity of this either. It does seem to be accepted that the F-H was trialed again in 1917 and accepted as suitable for military service with 100,000 ordered. But I wonder what changes may have been made since 1913/1915 to make it so? And if this acceptance meant it beat out the other rifles you have mentioned in trial or if it was simply ready early enough that they picked the F-H? And if so, what deficiencies were observed in the other rifles?

I did find this reference from the National Archives (https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C3267326) in the Ministry of Munitions section (MUN 4/2410) labeled RIFLES: Farquhar-Hill and other automatic rifles. Since I am not in the UK I can't get access myself, but if you are still looking into this it might be of interest to you.

Its an interesting bit of firearms history of which their is only a limited amount of information available.

Hello Artos, I'm not JFC Fuller but I do have access to some documentation that talks about the Farquhar-Hill trials in 1909 and later in 1918. Reach me in discord at Coutin#0529, easier for me to share pictures and talk about my findings there

 

[Tony Williams]

See pages 40-51 of British Secondary Small Arms 1914-1919 Vol. 2 Aircraft Weapons, Machine-Guns & Pistols by A. O. Edwards, edited by Ken Elks, and available from Solo Publications.

There is also a video HERE