Fortunately, my First Model Hand Ejector is still chambered for the .455 cartridge. Many of the British Contract guns that found their way back to the United States following World War I were subsequently re-chambered to .45 Colt, or .45 ACP, either by Smith & Wesson or other enterprising individuals. This alteration involved milling down the back of the cylinder to accommodate the thicker rims of .45 Colt ammunition or clips for the rimless .45 ACP cartridge. If Modified for the .45 Colt, the chambers required lengthening as well. From a practical standpoint there may have been some justification for these conversions, as both replacement rounds were much more readily available in this Country than .455 ammunition, but the modifications definitely destroyed the originality of the guns.
Background research by Roy Jinks on the .455 First Model in my collection indicates that it left the factory on January 21, 1915, and was delivered to the Remington Arms-Union Metallic Cartridge Co. in New York City. The gun obviously made it to England, as evidenced by its British proof marks. Beyond that, little is known regarding the service it saw. What is apparent from the condition of the revolver is that whoever had it treated it well.
Though there is little doubt that many of the .455 First Model Hand Ejectors saw use in combat, few documented accounts of their service are known. One such anecdotal example, however, can be found in Elmer Keith’s book Sixguns By Keith. Keith relates the story of a Canadian soldier who was taken prisoner at night by three German troops and was being escorted back to their lines. In the darkness the Germans had overlooked a Triple Lock revolver the Canadian had under his tunic. When the four of them sought sanctuary in a shell crater during an artillery barrage, the captive took advantage of the light from exploding flares to locate the position of each of the German soldiers. He then drew his revolver and shooting double action, dispatched his captors before they had time to react.
The story recounted by Keith may very well be factual. In 1991 Mr. David Penn, who was the Keeper of Exhibits and Firearms at London’s Imperial War Museum, gave a presentation to members of the Smith & Wesson Collectors Association. A transcript of his lecture was published in the SWCA 1992 Winter Newsletter. According to Mr. Penn: “The First World War was the only period in which British forces treated the revolver as an offensive weapon. It was very effective for trench fighting in skilled hands and by the end of the war, training was very sophisticated indeed, with a plethora of rapid fire, long range, trench clearance, quick draw and quick reloading techniques being taught at the Southern Revolver School at Wareham. The final test was a trench clearance at night, the only illumination being provided by exploding thunderflashes.” Apparently “thunderflashes” is another term for flash grenades or some similar type of ordnance.
THE .455 SECOND MODEL HAND EJECTOR
Eliminating the ejector rod shroud and yoke-mounted locking lug of the First Model brought the .455 Hand Ejector into conformance with the British concept of a proper military handgun. Smith & Wesson quite logically labeled the re-designed revolver the “.455 Second Model.” Other changes incorporated into the Second Model included a slight increase in the diameter of the cylinder, with a corresponding enlargement of the cylinder recess in the frame. Additionally, the recoil shield on the left side of the frame was contoured to better accommodate the center pin of the cylinder. Finally, a more subdued satin blue replaced the high-luster finish of the First Model. Among characteristics shared by both the First and Second Models were the 6-1/2-inch barrel, finely checkered walnut stocks and a lanyard ring in the butt of the grip frame.
A Canadian contract S&W .455 Second Model and holster which once belonged to Lt. Martin H. Bluethner of the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion rest on a copy of Lt. Bluethner’s Certificate of Service (discharge form). Martin Bluethner served over four years with the Canadian Expeditionary Force and was honorably discharged March 20, 1919.
A total of 69,755 Second Models were manufactured in .455 caliber. Roy Jinks’ book History of Smith & Wesson states that when production peaked in December of 1915 the factory was turning out 5,690 British Contract, Second Models per month. That production level was maintained until mid-September of 1916 when the contract was completed.
England wasn’t the only Commonwealth nation that turned to Smith &Wesson in quest of handguns during World War I. Due to its position as the senior dominion in the British Empire, Canada immediately found itself drawn into the hostilities with Germany upon England’s declaration of war. Faced with an acute shortage of serviceable handguns, Canada also contracted with Smith & Wesson for revolvers. Figures listed in Smith & Wesson 1857-1945, by Robert J. Neal and Roy Jinks, show that 14,500 of the .455 Second Models were purchased by the Canadian Government, to be issued to soldiers of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF).
Much more crucial than the shortage of handguns, however, was Canada’s critical lack of fighting men. In early 1914 the Canadian Army comprised some 3,000 regular soldiers, supported by a militia of volunteers. Recognizing that war was imminent, in the summer of that year Canada launched a recruiting drive to form an expeditionary force. Whether motivated by a sense of patriotism, a desire for adventure, or the princely sum of $20 a month military pay, many young men enlisted. The Canadian Army eventually numbered nearly 600,000 strong. Of those, some 418,000 soldiers served overseas as members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Fighting under terrible conditions in France and Belgium, Canadian forces distinguished themselves in several major battles, at times incurring heavy casualties.
The .455 Second Model in my collection is the most interesting of the three Smith & Wessons discussed in this article, simply because more is known of its history. This gun and a companion leather holster were offered for sale on-line by a licensed dealer in New Jersey. One of several photos displayed on the seller’s website was a close-up of the revolver which showed the letter “C” enclosing a double broad arrow, stamped on the frame near the thumb-piece. The “C” told me the gun had originally been the property of Canada. The double broad arrow inside the “C” indicated that at some point the revolver had been an “out of store” purchase, meaning it had been sold to someone by the Canadian Government.
Additional photos showed there was a large chip in the base of the gun’s left stock panel and someone had carved the initials “MHB” in the bottom of that panel. Otherwise, the revolver appeared to be in very good condition and most importantly, it was still in its original chambering.
But what really caught my attention were the photos of the old military holster. Even though its exterior was in pretty rough shape, what made the holster so intriguing was the hand-printed inscription on the underside of the flap, which read:
Lt. M H Bluethner 5th C.M.R. Bn.
By this time curiosity was getting the best of me. Leaving the seller’s website to access the computer’s search engine, I typed in “5th C.M.R. Bn,” to see what might be learned. The resulting information revealed that the abbreviation stood for “5th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion.” A website dedicated to the Battalion’s history reported that the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles had been formed in 1915 as a horse-mounted infantry unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and was comprised of volunteers from Quebec’s Eastern townships. In late 1915 the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion shipped out for England. There the unit was converted to an infantry battalion attached to the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division, CEF. Between 1916 and 1918 the Battalion saw action in both France and Belgium. Posted on the website was an impressive list of campaigns in which soldiers of the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles fought, as well as battle honors accorded to the unit.
While the condition of the revolver alone seemed good enough to justify its purchase, the added bonus of the holster, coupled with the prospect of linking both items to a major chapter in history, were too much to pass up. Enticed by the possibility that further research might uncover additional details of their provenance, I bought the gun and holster. Upon receiving them, an inquiry was sent to Roy Jinks, who advised that the revolver was a Canadian Government Contract gun and had been