Bren LMG mount

[cletrac (RIP)]

This one's a western desert pic off Life images. The guys in the back are installing a motley seat.

[cletrac (RIP)]

Here's one from Military Vehicle Profiles that I didn't notice before.

[Panzerserra]

Thanks for sharing...

[lssah2025]

Richard, you don't have any schematics on the PLM mount that you modified do you? Could you possibly reproduce another complete mount?

[welbike]

Yes Richard, I'd be interested in a mount and chair, or detailed drawings, have just got a glass negative scanned of the B4 Norton Motley, it even shows the maker; "HYDRA" it's rivetted on the main post behind the seat, anything known on the manufacturer??

Can post more detailed pictures of the mount, here's one:



Cheers,

Lex

[Dusonn]

Hi all,

I have taken these photos of a Bren mount in Duxford musem. Hope they help.

Dusan

[Dusonn]

More pictures...
PM me if you need a higher resolution

[welbike]

Thanks Dusan, but have seen that mount in the museum, and took some pic's.

On the Hydra/Lewis Motley Mount, found some more snippets, it was the company Hydran Products Ltd. from Staines Middx. that did development and production on the Motley mounts, and other rocket type of mounts? will search further!!

Have found out that Lewis Motley probably worked for the Hydran Products Ltd. and he started patenting many military inventions at the outbreak of the war, before the war the company was involved in central heating supplies and such things.

Cheers,

Lex

[cletrac (RIP)]

The over the shoulder mount for a single LMG like I made is the simplest to do. I could make up some drawings with measurements but can't take the time until October or so. Harvest is just about here and that keeps me busy for a month.
Could you email me a copy of the Norton Motley picture? I just have a low res one off the net.

[welbike]

David, the scan is way too big for emailing, and I paid over $200 for the neg and scanning, so can not give it away.

Can mail you the Motley piece though, let me have your email.

Cheers,

Lex

welbike(at)welbike.net

[cletrac (RIP)]

Here's one in foreign hands from another thread.

Originally Posted by welbike

David, the scan is way too big for emailing, and I paid over $200 for the neg and scanning, so can not give it away.
Cheers,
Lex

It seems to me I have around $700 in my Motley mount not counting several years of research on the subject all of which is posted on this thread. Does this mean I can't just give this info away?
If you find any mention of a Motley on any of the other military forums they just point the member to this thread since it's the most info on the subject that there is. It didn't get that way by people not sharing!!!
Enough said.

[welbike]

Well David, this thread is about Motleys, and as I said above that's no problem, send me your email address, and I'll send a scan of the Motley mount, and it will be a lot better quality than anything posted here before.

Am very reluctant now to post complete pictures, as I have seen my pictures later for sale on ebay! but the main reason is not the $$ but I'm writing a book on the B4's, and you cannot give out all the info, and then try to market a book later!

Hope you see my view, and this is a nice thread about Motley mounts, but have sofar not seen anything here, that I can take to an engineer, and say to him, "please build me this one please"

Cheers,

Lex

[cletrac (RIP)]

I found these on the HMV forum. They look like Vickers guns.

[Robert Bergeron]

Incredible finds gents. Incredible.

I learn more on the subject of Bren mounts reading this forum than visiting the War Museum in Ottawa.

Whe we compare the American way of mounting their 1919A4 and BAR with the Commonwealth way of mounting their Bren's , Lewis and Breda's, don't you think the Commonwealth way was a little overly complicated ?

Take the Bren tripod ( quadripod in fact ) , have you ever seen a more doubtfull piece of ... equipment ? I own and use one by the way.I had to examine it up close and personal ,i could'nt believe what i saw in the pictures.And the subject AA mount ?

David and friends , congratulations on finding parts and wanting to reconstruct one . But sheee's , what did they ever think ? A simple pintle would of been too simple, too american ?

My two cents. Keep up the good work.


Robert

[chrisgrove]

Hi Robert

Could you set up a Browning on a fixed line (or to be more accurate, on several fixed lines) on the simple American mount? Not a problem on the Bren 'tripod'. It could also be used as a ground mounted AA mounting for the Bren. Though I grant you that I would not like to be the guy who had to carry it to where it was needed.

On the other hand, Alex (about three posts up) says this thread is about Motley mounts. If you look at the top, it is about Bren LMG mounts and I am surprised that no one has mentioned the Lakeman mount, seen on many British tanks in the earlier part of the war.

Chris

[cletrac (RIP)]

Here's a non Motley mount off the AWM site. Both pics are the same truck.

[Wolfy]

As this is a fairly in depth thread I'll also add that there is a Motley Mount at the Royal Armouries in Leeds (along with examples of almost every small arm this planet has produced) which I saw several years ago. I will see if I have any pictures but I was there to study something else at the time.

Carleton

[cletrac (RIP)]

I actually came across a pic of a Lewis gun on a Motley mount!