Virtual Discovery #16 - Lewis Gun

Overview

Part of a series of “Virtual Discovery” presentations featuring the military heritage of Rottnest island produced in parallel with Virtual Visit posts relating to the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia. This “Virtual Discovery” focuses on the Lewis gun

Historical information

The Lewis light machine gun was designed by Isaac N Lewis who was a colonel in the United States Army. The first commercial Lewis guns were manufactured by the British small arms manufacturer Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) Company. At the outbreak of the First World War, BSA received orders for the mass production of Lewis guns in .303 calibre and produced over 15,000 thousand by 1918. The Lewis gun saw extensive service with British and Australian forces during World War One as a ground and aerial machine gun

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-32-54-792
Contextual Information

The Rottnest Island was closed to the public for extended periods during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in March 2020. The success of “Virtual Visi” series at the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia prompted the creation of a parallel series of “Virtual Discoveries” focussing on the military and heritage aspects of Rottnest island.

Australian Army Museum of Western Australia

Australian Army Museum of Western Australia

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