A series of ten programmes 7:Riflemen All
Introduced by Christopher Roads
To realise the full potential of the military rifle, breech-loading instead of muzzle-loading and magazine capacity in place of single shot were required. Many a weird-and-wonderful form of breech-loading was tried and when the choice was made, the British found themselves in the 1870s with a rifle - the Martini-Henry-that could not be properly adapted to magazine-loading. But they fought the First World War with one of the finest rifles ever employed-the SMLE that fooled the Germans into believing they were facing machine guns instead of rifles!
Narrated by DUNCAN CARSE
Film editor DICK ALLEN Producer PAUL JORDAN