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Anyone interested
The "Colt Gun" mentioned in Berenice's earlier post was the Colt Model 1895 in calibre .303". I have sometimes seen it referred to as a "tape gun"; the rounds being put up in a thin cloth belt (hence "tape") rather than a thicker webbing belt of the Maxim. The Colt was air cooled (the Maxim was water cooled and much heavier) and the Colt later became known as the "potato digger" due to the action-actuating arm under the barrel swinging forcefully up and down in the firing cycle.
The Colt was usually employed on a wheeled carraige - but could be quickly detached from it's mount and deployed in a less conspicuous manner. The lightness of the Colt made it much more suitable for mobile warfare. The Maxim was much better suited to sustained fire and barrage work. The Canadian Scouts were especially fond of the Colt. An interesting point is that I am not aware that the Colt "tape gun" was ever formally adopted by the British Army. I read once that the Canadians supplied their own Colt guns and some of the British Yeomanry outfits purchased their own. Those were the days.
My feeling is that the crew of a Colt Gun would have been gunner, loader, and one or two ammunition carriers - the two guns of a section being directed by - as Frank says - a subaltern.
I have seen several pics of the Colt "tape gun" somewhere and will have a look tonight and post them.
Regards
IL.

Two images of Colt guns; the first a 1895 pattern mounted and the second a tripod mounted of the South Australians.

David
Well done!! I have been looking through my books for pics of the Colt for a couple of hours!
Droogleever in "Thorneycroft's Unbuttoned" mentions that Col.Thorneycroft, when forming his Regiment, found no machine guns were available. He borrowed three .303" Colt guns from the Colt Company on Dundonald carraiges. The "bandoliers" (ammunition belts) were obtained from the Natal Volunteers. The Dundonald carraige was two-wheeled and lightweight to keep up with the cavalry.
Droogleever makes many references to the Colt guns in use in the abovementioned book.

One of the gentleman-troopers of the 13th Bn., I.Y. describes the Colt as a "little mountain gun" and says they were known as Colt tape guns on the same cartridge as their rifles but, owing to their greater calibre (?) possessed a range of a thousand yards longer. They were fed by a long tape containing at a time 500 rounds, and capable of discharging automatically a rapid hail of bullets.... upon the same objective. Each gun was served by a hand brought out from Colt's Gun Factory and the rapid "pop pop pop pop pop" of these little machines did much to strengthen their defence. Unfotunately at Lindley, one of the Colts jammed.

Best regards
IL.

Absolutely fascinating. Thank you all for your input and a special 'thanks' to David for the photos.

Good Morning Everyone......

Here is a photo from the cover of the Canadian Scouts Regimental History.......

Also there is a mention of the colt in the following postings on this forum.......

www.angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-...anadian-reunite#2785

Mike

I well remember searching through the original newspapers in Preston library many years ago and came across a photo of the Colt Gun Section of the 5th L.V.A before they went out to South Africa; sadly I didn't obtain a copy at the time.

The photo does not appear on the micro-filmed copies! I assume the library will have the original?