[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by jamesicus

Here is a stalwart Home Guard unit after field training maneuvers in 1940 -- note the Thompson sub machine guns (Tommy guns) -- I think the rifles are pattern 1914 Enfields.

The Rifles you refer to were known as the P14 .303
made in WW1 in America to british specifications, they were never issued to the Tommies in WW1, the delivery date was over due and enough SMLE's had been produced by then. The septics liked the rifle so much they produced one for their own men in 30-06 calibre known as the P17, some of the latter were also issued to the LOCAL defence volunteers, LDV, later changed to home guard.

Those ranges up Hapton were used by most of the H.G., units in East Lancs throughout the war. I used to shoot on that range till it was closed in the early 1950's.
The range had been in use for quite a long time, for I found lot of different calibre's of spent bullets,
.303 Mk7's, .303 Mk6's, .303 Mk2's and several ball rounds from the days of the Brown Bess.

Retlaw.