Throwback Thursday: Send A Gun to Defend a British Home

by
posted on May 28, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
send-a-gun_lead.jpg

This advertisement was published in American Rifleman, November 1940

In the years leading up to America’s involvement in World War II, national defense and preparedness were the watchwords of NRA and expressed through the pages of The American Rifleman. A group of Americans, headed by C. Suydam Cutting of New York City, created the American Committee for the Defense of British Homes to gather firearms and ship them to Great Britain for use by its defenders. The committee’s most conspicuous appeal for donations was a full-page advertisement in the November 1940 issue of The American Rifleman beseeching all NRA members to contribute as many pistols, rifles, shotguns and binoculars that they could spare to the embattled British cause. The grim plight of the British people was emphasized by a direct appeal to NRA members from a British military spokesman: “Send us anything that shoots,” he pleaded. By the end of the war, NRA members alone—without any promise of compensation and with little hope that the guns would ever be returned—had selflessly donated more than 7,000 small arms for shipment to Great Britain. Perhaps the most famous such gun was one of the few that actually was sent back—a Model 1903 target rifle that had been owned by Maj. John W. Hession. We know it belonged to Hession, a pre-eminent high-power shooter in his day, because on it he included his name, a list of his competitive accomplishments and a placard stating that, “For obvious reasons the return of this rifle after Germany is defeated would be deeply appreciated.”

In 1940, 75 years ago, the British stood alone against Hitler’s war machine. From May 27 through June 4, the British evacuated more than 300,000 troops from France in the face of the advancing German Blitzkreig. It was called the “Miracle of Dunkirk," but while the soliders were able to fight another day, they left much of the equipment—especially arms—on the beach. The American Committee for the Defense of British Homes ran this notice in the November 1940 American Rifleman.

Due to policies of civilian disarmament, the British people were stripped of their guns by their own government policies, arms needed to defend themselves against potential Nazi invasion. Individual American responded to the call, but most of the guns were never returned. One rifle, however, due to reasons that you can read in this article, did indeed come back to the United States.


undefined

Latest

Star Model B Ihtog 1
Star Model B Ihtog 1

I Have This Old Gun: Star Model B

Of the many Spanish-made firearms to emerge throughout the 19th and 20th century, one of the most recognizable is the Star Model B, largely due to its similarity to the Colt Model 1911.

New For 2025: Kimber Next Generation 1911

For its latest M1911 offering, Kimber Mfg. borrowed design elements from its double-stack 2K11 pistol to create what it calls the Next Generation 1911.

Review: Charter Arms Double Dog

Charter Arms is an American gunmaker that has offered its own versions of compact, double-action revolvers at fair prices for more than 60 years.

Rifleman Q&A: Mysterious “Broomhandle” Bring-Back

"My favorite gun is inoperable, so I have not shot it. It is one of two weapons that my dad brought back from the Philippines after World War II, the other being a sword."

New Jersey Town Supports CCW With Fee Refund

The city of Englishtown, N.J., recently made a move to reduce that financial barrier, sparking widespread optimism that a statewide, even nationwide, trend may be on the horizon.

Review: Savage Arms Revel

Lever-action rifles have experienced a revival in recent years, and Savage Arms is getting in on the act with its Revel series rimfires. To understand it, you may have to read (backward) between the lines.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.