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The Siege of Sidney Street: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 01:25, 11 January 2013
The Siege of Sidney Street was a 1960 British thriller based on the events surrounding the infamous Siege of Sidney Street (also known as the Battle of Stepney) in January 1911 when over 200 armed London policemen cornered a group of Latvian anarchists inside the house at No. 100 Sidney Street. The film brings the myth of "Peter the Painter", a legendary anarchist who may or may not have even existed, to life as a romantic failed artist who lost his 18-year-old son to "the cause".
The following firearms were used in the 1960 film The Siege of Sidney Street:
double-barreled shotgun
During the Siege of Sidney Street, many London policemen fire at the anarchists with hammerless side-by-side shotguns, as they did in real life. However - not shown in the film - the shotguns in real life were supplied during the battle by a local gunsmith.
Webley .455 Mk IV
Many London policemen, including Inspector Mannering (Donald Sinden), Sgt. Withers, and Scotland Yard Superintendent Blakey (Godfrey Quigley) carry Webley Mk IV revolvers chambered in .455 Webley.
In 1911, the London police had very few weapons at their disposal. Most that had revolvers at Sidney Street carried gate-loading Webleys chambered in .450 Adams, some of which had lingered unused in station arsenals for almost thirty years. The Siege of Sidney Street and the superior firepower of Svaars and Sokoloff led to the London police adoption of the .32-caliber Webley & Scott semi-automatic pistol.
Walther P38
The Walther P38 is the unofficial (and anachronistic) star of the film, featuring in the hands of most Latvian gang members, including "Peter the Painter" Piatkow (Peter Wyngarde), Alex Svaars (Leonard Sachs), Toska (Kieron Moore), Lapidos (T.P. McKenna), Carl Gardstein (Maurice Good), and Hersh (Harold Goldblatt).
As its name suggests, the P38 was developed in 1938 in preparation for World War II and thus would be very anachronistic for a film set in 1910-1911. It likely stands in for the Mauser C96, which gained a reputation for its real life use in the Houndsditch Murders and the Siege of Sidney Street.
Mauser C96
The Mauser C96, which obtained its "Peter the Painter" nickname from the anarchist portrayed in the film, is seen very briefly unloaded from a kit bag. Svaars (Leonard Sachs) takes it out of the bag and hands it to Toska (Kieron Moore), who begins aiming it around the room with joy. However, both are armed with P38s later. Peter never actually handles the gun in the film.
FN Browning M1900
Svaars (Leonard Sachs) hands a FN Browning Model 1900 to Peter (Peter Wyngarde) from his retrieved kit bag. Mannering later tells Blakey that he spied a "Browning automatic" in the gang's arsenal.
In real life, Svaars and Sokoloff ("Toska" in the film) used FN Browning Model 1910 pistols during the Siege of Sidney Street, in addition to the Mauser C96.
Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III*
As the Siege of Sidney Street grows more intense, the Scots Guard, armed with Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk III*] rifles, arrives on the scene.
