Indian soldiers using a Bren gun, 1944 (c)

Photograph, World War Two, Far East, 1944 (c).

A gas-operated weapon, the Bren used the same .303 ammunition as the standard British rifle, the Lee-Enfield, firing at a rate of between 480 and 540 rounds per minute (rpm), depending on the model. It was the standard light machine gun of Commonwealth armies during World War Two. The Indian Army used it widely, although the Vickers-Berthier was later adopted as well.

From a collection of official photographs collected by Major General (later Lieutenant General) Sir Frank Walter Messervy.