Canadian
soldiers exchanging their Ross Rifles for Lee Enfields.
The Ross Mk.II (or “model 1905”) rifle was highly successful in target shooting before World War I, but the close chamber tolerances, lack of primary extraction and overall length made the Mk.III (or “1910”) Ross rifle unsuitable for the conditions of trench warfare, exacerbated by the often poor quality ammunition issued.
By 1916, the rifle had been withdrawn from front line service, but continued to be used by many snipers of the Canadian Expeditionary Force until the end of the war due to its exceptional accuracy.
22nd (French Canadian) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1915.
Canadian Expeditionary Force
No 3 Platoon, 216th Battalion CEF (1917).
Three recipients of the “For the Defense of Leningrad” medal in Leningrad, Russia, 1943.
Note the Ross Rifle on the left
Three recipients of the “For the Defense of Leningrad” medal in Leningrad, Russia, 1943.
Note the Ross Rifle on the left
Leningrad militiamen receive weapons, Canadian Ross rifles