Ghurkha soldier firing a Thompson sub machine gun, 1944

Photograph, World War Two (1939-1945), 1944.

Once refused by the British Army as a 'gangster gun' the Thompson sub machine gun served the Allies well and was especially favoured by Commandos and other Special Forces for the stopping power of its .45 inch rounds. It was first purchased by Britain in 1939 when there was no indigenous sub machine gun available. Most wartime models used a box magazine of 20 or 30 rounds rather than the drum magazine beloved of gangsters.

One of 64 official and agency photographs collected by Major A G Russell, 79 Anti Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 1942-1944.