Lakemann Bren Mount Help
 

I am looking for any information or photo's of the Bren 'Lakemann' mount as shown on this Covenanter tank. Does anybody know where there is an original? Any pictures that show what kind of clamps were used or how the Bren was secured at the front would be most appreciated. Are there any drawings in manuals for British vehicles, possibly Humber armoured cars? Anything in published material relating to Bren guns?

Thanks in advance.

2nd Pic
 

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Re: Lakemann Bren Mount Help
 

Bruce, the correct spelling is "Lakeman". David Fletcher of the Tank Museum wrote: "Tom Lakeman was a Royal Tank Regiment officer, slightly mad according to people who knew him, who devised all kinds of strange machine-gun mountings. We have a large collection of photographs of Lakeman machine-gun mounts but they are all slightly different. The principle was a balance of arms and springs, like an office desk lamp, the idea being to reduce the weight of the weapon when used against aircraft. In practice they were usually more trouble than they were worth and most soldiers hated them and tried to throw them away at the first opportunity."

Here's a couple of pics:
http://www.mindspring.com/~rmgill/br...akeman.1.o.jpg
http://www.mindspring.com/~rmgill/br...akeman.2.o.jpg
Source: http://www.mindspring.com/~rmgill/br....mod/index.htm

HTH,
Hanno

Thanks Hanno
 

The first picture shows the front 'hanger' I'm curious about. The Fox manual shows what looks like a pair of scissors with no idea how they keep the gun from falling out of them. This picture looks almost like a wire loop. I wonder if the poor gunner was required to take the Bren barrel off, loop the wire around it, then re-assemble the gun to the barrel to secure it? I'm also wondering if the tension on the spring is adjustable. A Bren with a full 100 round drum weighs a whole lot more than one with an empty one.

Any more pictures?

Re: Thanks Hanno
 

Bruce, you can see in the picture the spring it adjustable. In the last photo is the easiest to see it, the vertical pole running almost parallel to the spring has a locking screw and slides up and down. You would raise the bren holding bar vertical to release the spring pressure , loosen the locking screw, pull up on the vertical bar extending it and the spring, lock the bar in place and as you rotate the bren carrying bar down , the spring would expand more giving you more tension.
Sean

Re: Thanks Hanno
 

Bruce, as David Fletcher mentioned the Tank museum has a large collection of photographs of Lakeman machine-gun mounts, your best bet would be to contact the Tank Museum library.

H.

P.138, Fig 145, in Dugelby's "The Bren Gun Saga", shows a Lakeman mount with chair.

P.144, Fig 160 shows a Lakeman mount on the turret of a Mk V Infantry Tank.

Unfortunately, for your purposes, the really good pics and drawings are mostly of the Motley and Gate mounts.

In the revised and expanded edition of the book, P.208, Fig 218, is a line drawing of Mk V (Valentine) Tank with what's identified as the Lakeman AA mount. Gun has 100 round drum mag.

Chair Lakeman
 

Does the picture of the chair mount show how the Bren is 'hung' at the fron, or what type of clamps are used?

Not really.

The pic is from the RHS and is identified as a twin Bren Lakeman mount.

There is a spring loaded assembly about 3 1/2 ft long running from a support on the chair. From there a tubular piece of bent metal snakes its way just to the rear of the folded bipods, then disappears over the gun to the LHS, with no attaching detail visible.