British Soldier poses with a Lend-Lease M1911 pistol in late 1942
This appears to be a older M1911 model instead of the improved M1911A1 model, also note US issue holster.
From March 1941 through the end of WW2, the UK received 39,592 M1911 pistols through Lend-Lease.
While not standard British Military issue, the M1911 was mainly issued to Special Forces / Commando Personnel.
Lt. Col. Augustus Newman, who earned Britain’s highest military honor for the Commando raid on German-occupied St. Nazaire, France in 1942, preferred the M1911 as a sidearm.
In 1952 the British Military released their M1911 pistols as surplus, with many ending up back in the USA, with UK proof marks.
LIFE Magazine Archives – Hans Wild Photographer WWP-PD
