Oh! What a Lovely War

Oh! What a Lovely War is a 1969 musical film which depicts events of the First World War (1914-1918) from the outset to the armistice. It is based on the 1963 stage production of the same name. Told through the eyes of mainly British soldiers, statesmen and civilians, the film presents a cynical and satirical view of the war using popular songs of the period. The film follows the generic Smith family both at the front and at home as the war escalates and begins to take its toll.

The following firearms were used in the film Oh! What a Lovely War:

Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)

Webley Green Revolver

In the opening titles a Webley WG revolver, commonly known as the Webley Green, is pictured.

.455 Webley-Green

A Webley-Green is one of the many WWI relics featured in the opening credits.

Webley Mk.VI

Multiple British officers can be seen carrying Webley Mk VI revolvers, the standard Btitish sidearm at the time. At various stages in the war, however, shortages forced Britain to obtain alternative models to suplement the Webley from companies such as Colt and Smith & Wesson.

.455 Webley Mk. VI

A British Major and Lieutenant Bertie Smith (Corin Redgrave) inspect a trench with presumed Webleys holstered.

An officer with his Webley drawn prepares to give the order to go over the top

Counting down the seconds until the attack with a Webley cocked.

Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE)

The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) is seen in the hands of British soldiers throughout the film. The SMLE Mk. III was the standard issue rifle to British and Commonwealth forces during the Great War although older models such as the SMLE Mk. I and CLLE (Charger Loading Lee-Enfield) were still in service. From 1916 onwards, a number of expedients were made with the rifle to speed up the manifacturing process. These simplified models were designated the SMLE Mk. III* and lacked some features of the regular Mk. III such as adjustable rear sights and magazine cut-off plates which prevented the use of the magazine.

.303 SMLE Mk. III.

The action of an SMLE in the opening titles.

The muzzle of an SMLE with an early 1907 pattern bayonet with a hooked quillon fixed.

What appears to be a mock-up dummy SMLE in the hands of a British soldier.

British troops at Mons engage the advancing Germans with rapid fire from their Lee-Enfields.

A soldier stands guard with his SMLE.

An attack begins as British troops leave their trenches with bayonets fixed.

Mauser Gewehr 1898

In one scene German soldiers are resting in a forest. In the background they appear to have Mauser Gewehr 1898 rifles although this is uncertain as thay are too far away or are partially obscured, making definite identification difficult.

Mauser Gewehr 1898, 7.92x57mm

German soldiers gathered in some woods with their Mausers

Vickers Mk. I Machine Gun

After success with Maxim guns, the British began to produce their own machine guns by modifying Maxim's original design in 1912. These Vickers guns saw service both on land and mounted in aircraft as well as at sea. A Vickers appears in the opening title sequence of the film as well as in the distant background in other scenes.

.303 Vickers Mk. I

A Vickers mounted on a tripod in the opening credits.

A section of a 250-round canvas belt showing Mk. VII .303 ammunition. Mk. VIII ammunition was developed by the Second World War for use specially in Vickers guns.