The French army reportedly obtained a number of these rifles early in the war to equip air crews due to the inability of the early aircraft to carry armament, aircraft armament evolved so quickly they weren't needed by the time they arrived, they were seconded to the French army whose trench parties found them very handy in the trenches due to their short length, light weight, & relatively powerful cartridge, this partcular rifle has British period proofs (info offered by forum members of Tuco's collectors forum, thanks guys!) further info indicates that the Brits also used some of these in WW1 & WW2!, rifle has many wood repairs which are identical to arsenal repair work found on many WW1 era French rifles & a 10rd magazine made in France marked "ET is Dupeyron". The soldier was from Paterson NJ, & the medals include a WW1 Victory medal w/bars, a NJ victory medal, a Paterson service medal, a Purple Heart & a Silver Star all in a period, home made case which includes a French Croix De Guerre cord denoting an award of that medal which is not in the case (never was) but would be consistent with the awarding of decorations given American troops in France in WW1. The Victory Medal has bars that I believe denote service in the 82nd Div, & it has 3 small stars on the ribbon. At the time of WW1 there were really no US valor awards other than the Medal of Honor, US troops were awarded decorations in the same manner as the French & Brits based on their criteria, they would be awarded those countries medals at times they were "Mentioned in Dispatches" the US awarded small stars to be placed on the Victory Medal ribbons in lieu of American awards. After the war the Purple Heart & Silver Star were instituted in about 1929 & made retroactive to soldiers whose awards in WW1 warranted them, most received the medals & never returned the ribbon stars (which they were really supposed to do).
Album by willyp. Photos by willyp. 1 - 44 of 44 Total. 27457 Visits.
WW1 used 07 Winchester & medal set Here's a view of the rifle & medal set together. The medal set is placed in a period home made case w/2 small 48 star US flags & a French Croix DeGuerre cord.
WW1 used Winchester 1907Sl The serial dates this rifle as being mfg in 1911, any 07 351 SL's or 401 Sl's should be mfg prior to 1915 to possibly have been used in WW1 as they were bought in late 1914, delivered in 1915 & were reportedly purchased from commercial existing stocks & some new production stock at time of shipment.
View of rifle from bottom There are quite a few wood repairs done to the rifle, some of which can be seen here.
Buttstock right side
Repair on wrist Here is a good pic of one of the wood repairs done on the rifle, note the piece placed in & pinned w/2 wood "pins" just behind the guard. A comparison w/this & other wood repairs to a Lebel & Berthier rifle show them to be identical to French arsenal repairs of the period.
Action, right side Right side w/10 rd magazine, the mag is apparently French made (they also reportedly mfg .351 ammo for these rifles) & is marked on the base "ET is Dupeyron" "W351-" (see following pics)
Right side of mag View of right of mag dismounted from rifle
Mag follower
Action bottom Shot of the action showing magwell w/mag removed, relaese button is in center edge of opening for mag.
Forend Again showing repair of a crack using "slats" glued across crack.
Rear sight A view of the rear sight, simple sight w/2 foldable leaves. Actually pretty effective for the short range use these rifles had in the trenches.
Muzzle area The extension below the barrel is not a cleaning rod but is the charging handle, to chamber a round the round button on the end is compressed towards the band.
Looking toward front sight Just a small bead sight, I believe both front & rear sights on these rifles were the standard Winchester 07 sights.
Muzzle view from left
Forend left side
Closeup w/repairs Looking closely you can see the repairs in the dorend which consist of a wood strip inlet into the stock w/reinforcing strips inlet over it perpendicular to where the crack was, consistent with period French arsenal repairs on many Berthiers & Lebels
Markings on barrel Barrel top in front of rear sight, standard Winchester 07 markings.
Same marking from side Note the British proofs, these rifles reportedly went thru Britain on the way to France & were proofed there per British law pertaining to commercial firearms!
Action left side Note the holes in the side of the mag body, probably not the best idea for use in the trenches.
Left side view of mag Dismounted from the gun
Mag marking
Numbers on the receiver
Tang & takedown
Buttstock left side
Buttplate Standard Winchester hard rubber buttplate w/Winchester logo.
Left view One thing odd about this rifle is it shows no sign of ever having been fitted to use any type of sling! Another point of interest is that the use of the 351 & 401 Winchester SL's is reported to be the impetus behind the design request by the US Army that led to the design/adoption of the US M1 carbine, which was also developed/designed by Winchester.
WW1 Medal set This is the medal set, from left to right, Silver Star, Purple Heart, US Victory Medal w/3 award stars & battle clasps for Aisne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, Muses-Argonne & Defence Sector, next is a VFW WW1 service medal, a NJ State Victory medal & a City of Paterson NJ Victory medal, also note the cord that goes along the top & around the right then coming back on the bottom, this is a French aguilette cord in green & red denoting award of a French "Croix De Guerre" or war cross, the flags are mini's 48 stars & the hang cord is actually woven in red/white/blue, the case appears to be a homemade period piece
Detail of case construction etc
Silver Star & Purple Heart Both these awards were adopted after WW1 but were made retroactive to WW1 veterans after review of their actions & approval by the Army. The original awards were actually the small stars that adorn the ribbon of the Victory Medal.
Obverse of Silver Star Rear of Silver Star w/soldiers name.
Obverse of Purple Heart
US Victory medal & VFW medal Here is the US Victory Medal (each Allied country had their own design Victory Medal w/the same ribbon & planchette style), the US issues had "battle bars" fixed to the ribbon which were awarded to the soldier for each battle he was in, the 3 small stars were the original "medals/awards" issued to the soldier for either bravery or wounds & were subsequently replaced by the Silver Star &/or Purple Heart if the Army review deemed the original actions warranted them.
Battle Bars on Victory Medal
Closeup & the awards stars
Obverse of US Victory Medal
VFW award
Obverse of VFW award
NJ Victory Medal After WW1 all the States & almost every City & Town issued their own "Victory" medals to members of their communities thatserved in the World War.
Obverse of NJ Victory Medal
City of Paterson NJ Victory Medal This is a City issued Victory medal
