A soldier of 1st Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own), checks his Bren magazines, Korea, 1950 (c)

Photograph, Korea, 1950 (c).

One of the finest light machine guns ever produced, the Bren was the centre of a platoon's firepower in all theatres of operation. It 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 and in Korea.

From an album of 110 photographs mainly taken by Lieutenant (later Major) Geoffrey Norton, 1st Bn Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own), Korea, 1950-1951.