Original British WWI .303 cal Hotchkiss Portable Machine Gun Mk I Parts Set Original Items

Original Item: Dating from the WWI era these British Hotchkiss Pattern machine guns were designated as cavalry guns and became known as the Portative. Issued for field use on a small crow’s foot tripod these were also installed in WWI tanks. In .303 cal. they were fed using metal feed strips. Each set comes with its tripod and detachable shoulder stock. All parts included (except receiver). An extremely RARE and unusual WWI machine gun parts set offered in very good condition.

Please note: We have very few of these left. All remaining examples will be missing some of the very small components and the wooden carry handle for the barrel. Please consult the pictures to see which parts are included.

Hotchkiss Mark I Light Machine Gun In British Service:

The Hotchkiss Portative has a very interesting battle history, although the gun is not as widely known as the other British light machine gun, the Lewis. Adopted as the Hotchkiss Portable Machine Gun Mark I, it was based on the French Hotchkiss Model 1909. The British considered it more suitable for mounted troops – cavalry and mounted infantry – than the more cumbersome Lewis. It was used by some famous units in equally famous battles. The Australian Light Horse, New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, and the legendary Camel Corp used it in the Desert Campaign in Sinai and Palestine from 1915 – 1917. In Palestine, it was used by the 4th Australian Light Horse Brigade in their overwhelmingly successful attack at Beersheba (immortalized in the excellent film The Light Horsemen, 1987). This charge is known as the most successful attack by mounted infantry in history. The Mark I was used by the ANZACs in the Gallipoli Campaign, and by British mounted troops in the fighting on the Western Front.