The majority of our downloads and online versions are provided free-of-charge for the benefit of anyone that wants to know more about the use of the Vickers Machine Gun and read what the Machine Gunners would have known. Many are rare items not readily available so, if you find them useful, please support the development of this resource. The archive now includes a wider range of associated documents so indirectly related to machine gunner. We hope you find it interesting.
By supporting the Association through Patreon, you are supporting the website fees that will enable us to have high-resolution versions online as well as receiving extended previews of our uploads and access to the original image scans. All donations are truly appreciated.
If you’d prefer to only give on a one-off basis, then go to PayPal or BuyMeACoffee and make a donation there.
All of the manuals are sorted in date order, with some exceptions where it is appropriate to group similar manuals, such as the Small Arms Training series.
Pre-Vickers MG:
Infantry Training (Provisional)
1902, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training
1905, War Office
Coming soon!
The Musketry Regulations
1905, War Office
Coming soon!
Musketry Regulations, 1905, Amendments
1907, War Office
Coming soon!
Appendix to Training Manuals
1905, United Kingdom
A lot of information didn’t fit in Infantry Training 1905 or Cavalry Training 1905 so it was added as an appendix, including pom-pom and machine gun section info.
Infantry Training
1905 (Reprinted, with Amendments, 1908), War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training
1911, War Office
Coming soon!
1908-1919:
Musketry Regulations, Part I
1909, Reprinted with Amendments 1912, United Kingdom
The manual that determined how every soldier in the British Army was taught how to use their rifle or machine gun. This includes the cleaning and handling of their weapon as well as the courses they had to undertake.
Low-resolution PDF download: 7,458 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Training and Manoeuvre Regulations
1913, United Kingdom
An insight into how the British Army was training immediately before the outbreak of the First World War.
Musketry Regulations, Part I
1909, Reprinted with Amendments, 1914, United Kingdom
Updated just prior to the outbreak of the Great War, this was the manual that determined how every soldier in the British Army was taught how to use their rifle or machine gun. This includes the cleaning and handling of their weapon as well as the courses they had to undertake.
Low-resolution PDF download: 12,280 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Musketry Regulations, Part II: Rifle Ranges and Musketry Appliances
1910, Reprinted with amendments, 1914, United Kingdom
This is the part of the Musketry Regulations that set out how to construct and use rifle ranges and the training equipment for teaching musketry in the British Army.
Low-resolution PDF download: 6,669 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Infantry Training (4-Company Organization)
1914, United Kingdom
All members of a British Army infantry battalion were trained according to this manual. It includes drill for individuals, companies and then the machine gun sections of the battalion.
Low-resolution PDF download: 17,418 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Infantry Training (4-Company Organisation)
1914, Reprint India 1917.
Coming soon!
Notes for Commanding Officers
1917, United Kingdom
This is a bound set of course notes that were prepared for the attendees of the Senior Officers’ Course in April 1917 – the third iteration of the course. It describes how the commanding officers of an infantry battalion should run their unit.
We have a 1918 edition of the same book and will share it in the future.
Everything you want to know about an infantry battalion in 1917!
SS 135J: The Division in Attack
1918, United Kingdom
Published in the last month of the war, this manual includes information on how the British Army was fighting haven’t learnt all their lessons so far. It includes all aspects of the Division, including the infantry battalions, the artillery and the machine gun battalions.
Low-resolution PDF download: 4,912 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
1920-1938:
Army Order 247 of 1921 amended Musketry Regulations, Part II: Paragraph 163 – “Positions” substitute “Portions.” Page 3 of the Amendments issued with Army Order 79 or 1921: “Substitute new plate 43 (shown in previous page).”
Addendum No. 6 to Musketry Regulations, Part I, 1909 (reprinted 1914) was issued in 1920. This was amended in 1922 (Army Order 171) and it separated the training of the men of the rifle companies of the infantry battalion from the machine gun troops and platoons, who would subsequently be trained according to Machine Gun Training.
An amendment to the Musketry Regulations, Part I, 1909 (reprint 1914) was made in Army Order 378 of September 1922. It changed the weapons training year start date from 1st November for Egypt and from 1st October for Straits Settlements (Malaya) both to 1st April as of 1st April 1923.
Training and Manoeuvre Regulations
1923, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Volume I – Training
1926, United Kingdom
The main manual on how the infantry were being trained in the inter-war period. It covers the principles and systems of training, squad drill, squad drill without arms; squad drill with arms; saluting; platoon drill; company drill; battalion drill; field signals; battle drill; march discipline; training in field operations; ceremonial; drill – company and battalion; drill – brigade and division; guards, guard of honour and lining streets; trooping and presentation of colours, feu-de-joie and funerals.
JPGs and PDF available on Patreon – subscribe to access and support the VMGCRA
Infantry Training, Volume II – War
1926, (With Amendment No 2 pasted in), War Office
Coming soon!
Section Leading
1928, United Kingdom
This is the British Army‘s guide ‘for the Training of Non-Commissioned Officers as Commanders of Rifle and Lewis-gun Sections. It covers many aspects of how the infantry operated towards the end of the 1920s.
Low-resolution PDF download: 4,840 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Infantry Training, Volume II – War
1931, United Kingdom
A comprehensive manual covering all aspects of the infantry doctrine in this period. Chapter titles include Battle, Attack, Defence (including the machine gun’s role in the defence), Protection, Fighting in close country, woods and villages, Night operations, Ammunition supply, Working parties and tasks and Assault bridging.
Not yet available.
Infantry Training, Volume II – War
1931, Amendments (No. 1), 1932, United Kingdom
Minor updates to the 1931 manual.
Available as a JPG on the left of the screen (one page amendment).
Infantry Training, Volume II – War
1931, Amendments (No. 2), 1933, United Kingdom
Minor updates to the 1931 manual.
Available as a JPG on the left of the screen (one page amendment).
Infantry Training: Training and War
1937, United Kingdom
This manual describes in full detail how the infantry of the British Army was trained at the start of the Second World War. It incorporated the latest lessons on mobility and the armaments that were in service.
Low-resolution PDF download: 12,695 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Infantry Section Leading
1938, United Kingdom
This 1940 reprint of the manual covers all aspects of the most basic unit in the British Army: the infantry section of the infantry battalion. It covers the characteristics and qualities expected of a section leader at that start of the Second World War, as well as the organisation of the infantry battalion and the basic tactics of the section, including patrols, attacks, defence and messages, reports and orders.
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
1939-1975:
Manual of Map Reading, Photo Reading and Field Sketching
1929 (Reprinted with Amendments (Nos. 1 to 4)), 1939, United Kingdom
This manual shows how the British Army was reading maps, using the compass and protractor as well as photo interpretation and making field sketches at the outset of the Second World War.
Low-resolution PDF download: 7,140 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Infantry Training, 1937, Supplement – Tactical Notes for Platoon Commanders
1941, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, 1937, Supplement – Tactical Notes for Platoon Commanders, Amendments (No. 1)
1941, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, 1937, Supplement No. 2 – The Design and Layout of Field Defences
1941, War Office
Coming soon!
The Instructor’s Handbook on Fieldcraft and Battle Drill
1942 (Provisional)
The instruction manual on all aspects of fieldcraft in the mid-War period. This could arguably be shown as the main source material for the training of the troops in preparation for Operation OVERLORD and all of the other operations in between. It complements the Battle School manual and the military training pamphlets issued. It contains superb illustrations on all of the different tactics and actions used.
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon.
Infantry Training, Part I: The Infantry Battalion
1944, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Part IV: The Mortar Platoon
1944, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Part VI: The Anti-Tank Platoon
1943, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Part VIII. – Fieldcraft, Battle Drill, Section and Platoon Tactics
1944, United Kingdom
This comprehensive manual covers all aspects of the infantry section and platoon of the infantry battalion in the latter part of the Second World War, as well as their tactics and employment from the perspective of the men within them. It also cover the individual skills and knowledge of the infantryman, such as camouflage and concealment and how to dig a slit trench. The formations for patrols and set-piece attacks by the platoon and section are explained and there are diagrams throughout.
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Post-War Series (sorted by Volume and Pamphlet)
Volume I – Infantry Platoon Weapons
No. 1
Pamphlet No. 1, General (All Arms)
1948, Amendments Nos 1 and 2 incorporated, War Office
This pamphlet is the introductory pamphlet for all four series of the Infantry Training manuals that were produced post-Second World War. This particular example is 1948 but with Amendments 1 and 2 pasted in.
Available for Patrons here.
Pamphlet No. 1, General Introduction (All Arms)
1961, United Kingdom
This is the introduction pamphlet to the last editions that incorporated the Vickers MMG before the transition to the GPMG.
No. 2
Pamphlet No. 2, Fieldcraft (All Arms)
1948, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 2, FIELDCRAFT (All Arms)
1954, War Office
Coming soon!
No. 3
Pamphlet No. 3, Rifle and Bayonet (All Arms)
1948, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 3, No. 4 Rifle and Bayonet (All Arms)
1955, War Office
Coming soon!
No. 4
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 4, The Sub-Machine Gun (All Arms)
1955, War Office
The first pamphlet on the Sterling Sub-Machine Gun in service. Useful given we have one in the collection’s firing weapons now!
Available for Patrons here.
No. 5
Infantry Training, Volume I, Pamphlet No. 5, 9-mm Browning Self Loading Pistol (All Arms)
1958, Reprinted with Amendments (Nos 1 to 7), 1970, War Office
Coming soon!
No. 6
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 6, The Light Machine Gun (All Arms), Supplement No. 1, Anti-Aircraft LMG
1951, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 6, Light Machine Gun and Section Handling (All Arms)
1955, War Office
Coming soon!
Provisional Pamphlet for The General Purpose Machine Gun
1962, United Kingdom
The General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) replaced the Vickers in British Army service in the sustained fire role but for a few years it served alongside the Vickers. This is the first pamphlet introduced to explain its use.
Low-resolution PDF download: 4,413 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 6A, The General Purpose Machine Gun (Light Role) (All Arms)
1966, Ministry of Defence
Coming soon!
Pamphlet No. 6B, The General Purpose Machine Gun (Sustained Fire) (All Arms)
1968, United Kingdom
The British Army’s manual on how to use the General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) in the sustained fire role, which is the role it replaced the Vickers in.
Low-resolution PDF download: 3,559 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
No. 7
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 7, Grenades (All Arms)
1951, War Office
Coming soon!
No. 8
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 8, The 2-inch Mortar
1949, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 8, The Light Mortar (2-inch)
1959, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 8, The Light Mortar (2-inch)
1966, War Office
Coming soon!
No. 9
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 9, Part I, The Anti-Tank Grenade, No. 94 (Energa)
1953, War Office
Available for Patrons here.
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 9, Part II, 3.5-inch Rocket Launcher
1953, War Office
Coming soon!
Provisional Pamphlet for the 120-mm Battalion Anti-Tank Gun, Part I – Technical and Battle Handling
1954, War Office
Coming soon!
No. 11
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 11, Exercising Trained Soldiers (All Arms)
1949, United Kingdom
A wide-ranging British Army pamphlet from the immediate post-war period that includes handling of the rifle, bayonet, light machine gun, machine carbine, 2-inch mortar, PIAT and grenades – everything in the infantry platoon. It covers all types of exercises, field firing and competitions.
Available for Patrons here.
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 11, Trained Soldiers (All Arms), Exercises in Handling of Weapons
1955, United Kingdom
A wide-ranging British Army pamphlet from the immediate post-war period that includes handling of the rifle, bayonet, light machine gun, machine carbine, 2-inch mortar, PIAT and grenades – everything in the infantry platoon. It covers all types of exercises, field firing and competitions.
Available for Patreons here.
Pamphlet No. 12
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 12, Fire Control and Theory of Small Arms Fire (All Arms)
1949, War Office
Coming soon!
No. 13
Infantry Training, Volume I, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 13, The Ackpack Flame Thrower
1952, War Office
Flamethrowers are an unusual small arm and often not seen outside of major conflict. This pamphlet is the post-war use of the Ackpack – the personnel carried version.
Available for Patrons here.
Volume II, Infantry Heavy Weapons
Pamphlet No. 21, 3-inch Mortar
Infantry Training, Volume II, Infantry Heavy Weapons, Pamphlet No. 21, 3-inch Mortar
1951, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Volume II, Infantry Heavy Weapons, Pamphlet No. 21, 3-inch Mortar, Part I – Technical and Battle Handling
1963, War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Volume II, Infantry Heavy Weapons, Pamphlet No. 21, 3-inch Mortar, Part III – Mortar Tactics and Battle Procedure
1964, War Office
Coming soon!
Pamphlet No. 24, The Medium Machine Gun
Part I – Mechanical Subjects
1951, United Kingdom
The first of the three part manual for the Vickers machine gun that would see it take all of the lessons learnt in the Second World War and use them until the end of the Vickers’ service life in the British Army. It includes all mechanical elements, stoppages, spares and repairs.
Low-resolution PDF download: 11,953 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Part II – Drills and Training
1951, United Kingdom
The second of the three part series, this manual shows all of the drills and training that needs to be compled by the machine gun platoon. It includes drills from the Universal Carrier, as was in use at the time.
Low-resolution PDF download: 18,010 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Part II – Drills and Training. Amendments (No. 1)
October 1952, United Kingdom
The first amendments issued for the 1951 manual Part II. They include amendments to the text as well as changes to the practices.
Low-resolution PDF download: 713 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Part II – Drills and Training. Amendments (No. 2)
March 1953, United Kingdom
The second set of amendments for the 1951 manual. It includes a new lesson on controlled corrections of fire.
Low-resolution PDF download: 379 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Part III – Fire Control
1951, United Kingdom
The third of the three part series and this includes all of the fire control elements for using multiple guns to engage direct and indirect firing targets.
Low-resolution PDF download: 9,889 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Part III – Fire Control
1951, Australia
The Australian Army’s version of the fire control section of the three-part manual series on the Vickers machine gun in the post-Second World War period.
Low-resolution PDF download: 3,798 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Part III – Fire Control
1951 (Reprinted with Amendments (Nos. 1 to 3)), 1954, United Kingdom
A full reprint of Part III that includes the first three sets of amendments on how the Vickers machine gun could be used in numbers for direct and indirect fire.
Low-resolution PDF download: 3,692 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Part III – Fire Control. Amendments No. 4
November 1959, United Kingdom
The last known amendments to the Fire Control part of the post-War Vickers machine gun manual. It includes updated beaten zone information.
Low-resolution PDF download: 598 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Pamphlet No. 26, Range-finder
Infantry Training, Volume II, Infantry Heavy Weapons, Pamphlet No. 26, Range-finder No. 12
1946 (Reprinted with Amendments (No. 1)), 1949, United Kingdom
The training manual for the rangetaker in the immediate post-Second World War period. It includes a full training schedule and all of the lesson detail is included.
Low-resolution PDF download: 4,496 KB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Volume III, Ranges and Courses
Pamphlet No. 31, Range work
Infantry Training, Volume III, Ranges and Courses, Pamphlet No. 31, Range Work – General (All Arms)
1948, United Kindom
This manual details the post-Second World War rules and regulations for the safe management of small arms ranges. It includes the safety precautions, range duties, butt duties and signalling, field firing, and rifle meetings.
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Volume III, Ranges and Courses, Pamphlet No. 31, Range Work – General (All Arms)
1948 (Reprinted with Amendments (Nos. 1 to 5), 1952), United Kindom
This manual details the post-Second World War rules and regulations for the safe management of small arms ranges. It includes the safety precautions, range duties, butt duties and signalling, field firing, and rifle meetings.
Coming soon.
Pamphlet No. 31, Range Work – General (All Arms)
1948, Amendments No. 6, 1953, United Kingdom.
A small amendment for new instructions on the demolition and disposal of ‘blinds’ – shells and bombs that have not exploded on the range as intended, including the PIAT.
Coming soon.
Infantry Training, Volume III, Ranges and Courses, Pamphlet No. 31, RANGES (All Arms)
1958, War Office
Coming soon!
Pamphlet No. 32
Infantry Training, Volume III, Ranges and Courses, Pamphlet No. 32, Annual Range Courses (All Arms)
1952, War Office
Coming soon!
Volume IV, Tactics
Infantry Training, Volume IV, Tactics, Infantry Section Leading and Platoon Tactics
1950, United Kingdom
The training manual for up to platoon level tactics in the infantry battalion, with information on how to equip the section and co-operation with the support company, including the medium machine guns, mortars and carriers.
Low-resolution PDF download: 7.04 MB
High-resolution available on archive.org thanks to support through Patreon
Infantry Training, Volume IV, Tactics, The Infantry Platoon in Battle
1960 (Provisional), War Office
A provisional manual at the time of the transition from the Vickers MG to the General Purpose Machine Gun in the Infantry Battalion. Volume IV of this series goes on to include the doctrine as it developed in this Cold War period.
Available to Patrons here.
Infantry Training, Volume IV, Supplementary Pamphlet for the Tactical Handling of the New Infantry Battalion
1961 (Provisional), War Office
Coming soon!
Infantry Training, Volume IV, Tactics, Training for Night Operations
1965 (Provisional), Ministry of Defence
Coming soon!
The majority of our downloads and online versions are provided free-of-charge for the benefit of anyone that wants to know more about the use of the Vickers Machine Gun and read what the Machine Gunners would have known. Many are rare items not readily available so, if you find them useful, please support the development of this resource. The archive now includes a wider range of associated documents so indirectly related to machine gunner. We hope you find it interesting.
By supporting the Association through Patreon, you are supporting the website fees that will enable us to have high-resolution versions online as well as receiving extended previews of our uploads and access to the original image scans. All donations are truly appreciated.
If you’d prefer to only give on a one-off basis, then go to PayPal or BuyMeACoffee and make a donation there.
All of the manuals are sorted in date order, with some exceptions where it is appropriate to group similar manuals, such as the Small Arms Training series.
Sources
- The National Archives, WO 123/63 Army Orders 1921.
- The National Archives, WO 123/64 Army Orders 1922.
