1940 New York Thompson Handbook With Diagram

[765 21D]

Hi All,

 

Here are some photos of two 1940 edition Thompson handbooks that I picked up at the weekend. The New York address one has an interesting folding diagram that I have not seen before in a 1940 handbook in the UK.

 

The Ny address 1940 handbook is not common in England.

 

 

 

Folded blueprint diagram. This was found inside the New York 1940 handbook

 

 

 

This is a photo of the diagram and not a scan.

 

 

 

1940 Bridgeport Handbook Cover.

 

 

 

Insert in Bridgeport handbook. This is a center page version of the blueprint diagram.

Edited May 16, 2013 by 765 21D

[bt3_guns]

765 21D,

 

I checked my 1940 NY address (sample size 1) and Bridgeport address (sample size 5) handbooks and found the following:

 

The NY address does not have the diagram. It also does not have staples but is held together with thread thru the staple holes

 

All the Bridgeport address handbooks have the foldout. One is Model of 1928, four are Model of 1928/Model M1 (one of these is the transitional). They are all stapled into the handbook.

 

My 1936 handbooks do not have the diagram.

 

Bill

Edited May 17, 2013 by bt3_guns

[TD.]

76 21D,

Congratulations; an excellent find. It would be interesting to know if this fold-out was included in the handbook when it was sent from the USA to the UK, probably in 1940. I don't believe this handout has ever been reported as being found in an Edition of 1940 handbook with a New York address before. Perhaps, other members have this in their collection and never realized the value. If so, please chime in. The New York address 1940 handbooks are hard to find in the USA too.

 

Thank you for sharing!

[765 21D]

765 21D,

 

I checked my 1940 NY address (sample size 1) and Bridgeport address (sample size 5) handbooks and found the following:

 

The NY address does not have the diagram. It also does not have staples but is held together with thread thru the staple holes

 

All the Bridgeport address handbooks have the foldout. One is Model of 1928, four are Model of 1928/Model M1 (one of these is the transitional). They are all stapled into the handbook.

 

My 1936 handbooks do not have the diagram.

 

Bill

Hi Bill,

 

That is very interesting but I wonder if anyone else on the boards has a 1940 handbook with this blueprint diagram, if not I think that tthere is a good chance that these blueprint diagrams could have been shipped to England in the handbook pre lend -lease in 1940.

 

Best,

 

Dermot

[Gio]

My 1940 NY address doesn't have the blueprint diagram. The same info is on page twenty and twenty-one under Malfunctions without the diagram.

 

They could have been stuffed in the England handbooks to put emphasis on this safety issue.

 

Frank

[dalbert]

765 21D,

 

This is a very nice find. The NY address 1940 Handbooks do not have the diagram within, and I believe the assessment that these were included as safety inserts with some handbooks sent to Britain is probably correct. This handbook has 5 different versions, and was morphed to include 1 content around 1942, but still retained the 1940 date.

 

I would like to use your photo of the insert in a possible future publication. Please let me know if that's ok with you. In 2005, "Sig" and I co-authored "Thompsons Manuals, Catalogs, and Other Paper Items," and there's always a chance we might do an update.

 

As far as these not being common in England, that is apparently an accurate assessment, however I will say from my own experience that the NY address 1940 Handbook is most commonly found in Britain. I have had 7 of these, 6 of which came to me from Britain. I believe almost all NY address 1940 Handbooks went to Britain with early Savage Thompsons.

 

David Albert

dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

[765 21D]

76 21D,

Congratulations; an excellent find. It would be interesting to know if this fold-out was included in the handbook when it was sent from the USA to the UK, probably in 1940. I don't believe this handout has ever been reported as being found in an Edition of 1940 handbook with a New York address before. Perhaps, other members have this in their collection and never realized the value. If so, please chime in. The New York address 1940 handbooks are hard to find in the USA too.

 

Thank you for sharing!

Hi T.D,

 

We are on the same lines with this as I think this was an early insert for the Thompson guns shipped in 1940 to England. The Bridgeport 1940 handbook is the most common Thompson US made handbook to find for sale in England, having said that the later Bridgeport one with the M1/M1A1 is not easy to find and I do not have one yet.

 

Best,

 

D

[765 21D]

765 21D,

 

This is a very nice find. The NY address 1940 Handbooks do not have the diagram within, and I believe the assessment that these were included as safety inserts with some handbooks sent to Britain is probably correct. This handbook has 5 different versions, and was morphed to include 1 content around 1942, but still retained the 1940 date.

 

I would like to use your photo of the insert in a possible future publication. Please let me know if that's ok with you. In 2005, "Sig" and I co-authored "Thompsons Manuals, Catalogs, and Other Paper Items," and there's always a chance we might do an update.

 

As far as these not being common in England, that is apparently an accurate assessment, however I will say from my own experience that the NY address 1940 Handbook is most commonly found in Britain. I have had 7 of these, 6 of which came to me from Britain. I believe almost all NY address 1940 Handbooks went to Britain with early Savage Thompsons.

 

David Albert

dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

Hi David,

 

Yes of course you can use the photo no problem, but I would like to try and get a better shot than the one I took for this post. The reason I posted this item in the first place is because I believe that the insert was from the handbooks sent in 1940 to England and I wanted fellow Thompson collectors opinions.

 

Best,

 

D

[rpbcps]

Just listed on eBay.co.uk....

 

"Handbook of the Thompson Submachine Gun model 1928 illustrated and complete with separate drawing of the machine gun"

 

 

But sold very quickly!

 

Apart from Dermot's example, this is the only other NY address 1940 dated Handbook that I have come across for sale with the stoppages fold out, are there any more out there?

 

Stay safe

 

Richard

[TD.]

See pages 70 - 71 in Great Britain - The Tommy Gun Story.

[rpbcps]

Tom,

That is interesting, 1,000 examples, and only three known survivors so far, Dermot's, Michaels and now this one?

 

Stay safe

 

Richard

[Mk VII]

My 1940 NY address one doesn't have the insert.

[rpbcps]

My 1940 NY address one doesn't have the insert.

 

James,

Over the years I have looked through many 1940 NY address handbooks, and the majority appear to have been separated with the fold out information sheet.

 

In my collection I have a large blue print of the same stoppages information, bought many years ago from Larry, (joseph12297 on the forum), which even has the same same misspelling of 'Thomson' (sic), bottom right above the information box.

 

I also note on page 20 of David Albert and Michael Sigillitos, now out of print, "Thompson Manuals, catalogs, and other paper items", the fold out information sheet is pictured under the title '1938 Faults Blueprint', again with the same spelling mistake.

Edited August 16, 2020 by rpbcps