Lance Corporal George Netherwood (left) and Private W.L. Soderberg (right) with Bren guns, Private Earl Israel (rear), October 1943, Italy. Photo by Terry F. Rowe. Department of National Defence / National Archives of Canada, PA-141306.

"The Bren Gun is spoken of with affection by every British soldier who ever used one, and with good reason. Beyond any doubt it was . . . the finest light machine gun ever adopted in quantity by any army. It was reliable, robust, simple and accurate, and beyond that no one has a right to ask." (Ian V Hogg, The Encyclopedia of Infantry Weapons of World War II, 1977) The Bren was ubiquitous in British and Commonwealth armies, used in rifle sections and in Universal (Bren gun) carriers.