By the 1930s the British army wished to replace the Lewis Gun and tested various weapons including the Vickers-Berthier, the Browning Automatic Rifle and the Madsen. The British Military Attache in Prague drew the attention of the War Office to a new Czech LMG, the ZB 26. This gun was put on trial with excellent results but required modification to fire the .303 British ammunition. Arrangements were made for the manufacture of the modified gun at the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield. This led to the name of the Gun. BR for BRNO. EN for Enfield. The Bren became a legend in its own time for its reliability, simplicity and accuracy. The MK1 closely followed the Czech design - its bipod had telescopic legs and the rear sight was of the drum variety. The curved overhead magazine held 30 rounds. This example was manufactured in the UK at RSAF, many were later made in Canada
Marks and Stamps: (R side of receiver) BREN MK I ENFIELD crown 1938 (Back of receiver) Serial no (Barrel and Barrel handle) I* A2235 A2796 C11441| Accession Number: 290 | Period of Use: 1937 - 1960s |
| Type: Machine gun | War Zones: Second World War; Korea; Suez; Malaya |
| Country of Origin: U.K. | Type Date: 1937 |
| Manufacturer: Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield | Serial Number: A2796 |
| Manufacture Date: 1938 | Calibre/Ammunition: 0.303" |
| Weight: 10150g | Length Overall: 1150mm |
| Cyclic Rate: 500rpm | Length Barrel: 635mm |
| Deactivation Certificate Number: DA 81822 |