The Last Known Colt Thompson in the U.S.
By Tom Davis, Jr.
Arizona Class Three dealer Tom Stewart had always wanted a Colt Thompson submachine gun. Unfortunately, this “trench broom” envisioned by General John T. Thompson in 1917 and later invented by Auto-Ordnance Corporation engineers Theodore H. Eickhoff and Oscar V. Payne has become one expensive piece of weaponry. Tom decided to take the plunge in late 2006 when he answered an advertisement on Subguns.com concerning a Colt Thompson. Tom was just like many other Thompson enthusiasts; he was familiar with the history of this famous American invention and he wanted one. The story of Tom’s purchase has uncovered for Thompson collector’s around the world a piece of Thompson history that has been heretofore unknown - a Colt Thompson with a 15,000 serial number. Only 41 Colt production Thompsons bear a serial number in the 15,000 serial number range.
The Model of 1921 Thompson submachine gun was manufactured by the Colt Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company and was the first commercial production of this now classic firearm. The initial production run by Colt, under contract to the Auto-Ordnance Corporation, New York City, was for 15,000 Thompson Submachine Guns.
The first serial number used when manufacturing began was No. 41 and this first Colt Thompson was delivered to the Auto-Ordnance Corporation in March 1921. The last serial number used on this initial production run was No. 15040 manufactured in July 1922. Tom’s Thompson, No. 15025, was not the last Colt Thompson as fifteen other Colt Thompson submachine guns have a higher serial number - but none are currently known to be on National Firearms Act (NFA) Registry. However, it is the highest serial numbered Colt Thompson known to exist in the United States at this time.
The original 15,000 Thompsons manufactured by Colt were all Model of 1921. The commercial marketing of these firearms was less than successful. In the ensuring years, Auto-Ordnance modified the Model of 1921 Thompson in hopes of finding something that would be more marketable. The Model of 1923 Thompson was the first modification - an attempt to make the Thompson into something similar to the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). Several variations of this Model of 1923 Thompson were built, but in the end this effort was a complete failure. Only a handful of authentic Model of 1923 Thompsons exist today and all retain the original Model of 1921 markings.
The adoption of the Cutts Compensator for the Thompson in 1926 could also be termed a modification. Even with the added cost, the compensator was a very popular accessory when offered on the Model of 1921 Thompson.
The next modification was the Model of 1927, converting the Thompson submachine gun into a semiautomatic carbine. This met with some limited success in that a small number of these Thompson carbines were built from existing stocks of Model of 1921 Thompsons and sold mostly to prisons as guard guns. These are easy to distinguish because the “Model of 1921” and “Thompson Submachine Gun” markings were removed and re-stamped “Model of 1927” and “Thompson Semi-Automatic Carbine.”
In 1928, the most popular Thompson modification was adopted by Auto-Ordnance and resulted in the best selling Thompson to date. This modification is known as the Model of 1928 Thompson, commonly referred to by collectors as the Navy model or the 28 overstamp. At the request of a good customer, the United States Marine Corps, Auto-Ordnance designed a heavier actuator that resulted in a slower rate of fire. During this same time period, the U.S. Navy took note of the Marines effective use of the Thompson in the jungles of Nicaragua in 1926 and began procurement of the Thompson. This heavier actuator along with a new recoil spring and guide, horizontal forearm, sling and Cutts Compensator later became the U.S. Navy, Model of 1928. Thompsons were taken from inventory and the 1921 markings were changed with the stamping of the number 8 over the number 1. This overstamping appears to many as the letter B, but it signifies a Model of 1928 Thompson. The words “U.S. Navy” were not added to every Model of 1928 Thompson. No. 15025 is a Model of 1928 Thompson; the number 8 stamp over the number 1 is very distinct but there are no US Navy markings present on No. 15025.
No. 15025 has a unique marking on the receiver. The letter “A” is stamped beside the overstamped 8 thereby making the model nomenclature read Model of 1928 A. The purpose or reason for this “A” marking and who applied it to No. 15025 is unknown. Gordon Hergistad, renowned Thompson researcher and author of the excellent reference book, Colt Thompson Serial Numbers, reported that he has never seen a Colt Thompson with only the “A” marking after the model nomenclature. Mr. Hergistad has observed five Colt Thompsons with “U.S.” markings before and “A1” markings following the model nomenclature. These markings were applied by the United States military when the Army adopted and procured this gun in very limited quantity.
An examination of No. 15025 reveals the upper receiver and lower frame have matching serial numbers. The first noticeable exception to No. 15025 is the misalignment of barrel alignment markings. This is because No. 15025 was dewated (deactivated) in the past and later activated with another Colt barrel. A close inspection of this replacement barrel reveals the letter “H” to the right of the barrel alignment marking. This “H” marking makes for the second unusual letter stamping on No. 15025. The replacement barrel appears to have a modern Auto-Ordnance Corporation, West Hurley, New York, compensator that has been pinned. Fortunately, Tom has acquired the original dewat barrel, and more importantly, the original Cutts Compensator. The buttstock has the upside down anchor marking indicative of the correct buttstock, but the pistol grip and vertical foregrip may not be original to this Thompson. Tom has reported all the internal components appear to be original Colt parts. The rear sight is of special interest as it has the very rare “METER” markings, an indication No. 15025 may have been originally prepared for sale to a foreign government or customer. The right side receiver markings show the 1922 patent dates, something only found on Colt Thompsons with serial numbers over 14500. Aside from the past dewat/rewat and re-barrel procedures, this Thompson only shows the normal signs of scratches and wear. Tom believes No. 15025 still retains the original finish.
Tom filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on No. 15025 to learn more about the history of this historic Thompson. From the redacted documents provided by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, we learn No. 15025 began life on the National Firearms Act (NFA) Registry via a Form 2 (Notice of Firearms Manufactured or Imported) dated June 30, 1939. It appears No. 15025 was one of the last Colt Thompsons sold by General Thompson’s Auto-Ordnance Corporation. On July 21, 1939, the Auto-Ordnance Corporation became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Thompson Automatic Arms Corporation with J. Russell Maguire firmly in control of the Thompson.
Deciphering redacted government forms is at best a guessing game. However, it appears No. 15025 may have belonged to a governmental agency until 1969 or 1971 when it was acquired by a Class III dealer in Michigan. It was deactivated sometime in 1971 or 1972 and then transferred to a private individual on September 1, 1972. It remained with this individual until February 2006 when it was sold to another Class III dealer. It was re-activated in August 2006. The transfer of No. 15025 to Tom Stewart was approved on January 12, 2007.
Recently, Gordon Hergistad discovered another Colt Thompson with a slightly higher serial number than No. 15025, outside the United States. Gordon will report on this discovery in the next edition of his book.
Many years ago the author was talking to then noted Thompson expert Roger A. Cox about Colt Thompsons with serial numbers in the 15,000 range. Roger told the author that his examination of some very poor condition Auto-Ordnance sales records revealed only one in the United States. Roger would not reveal the location because he was going to attempt to acquire this Thompson. In Roger’s now classic book, The Thompson Submachine Gun, he references No. 15036 as being sold in the United States by Federal Laboratories. Is it possible No. 15036 never made it on to the NFA Registry? Could No. 15025 be the only 15,000 serial numbered Colt Thompson in the United States on the Registry? Or could another one or two be hidden away in a police department gun vault or private collection? Only time will tell.
- Auto Ordnance Serial Numbers
- Auto Ordnance M1a1 Serial Numbers
- Auto Ordnance West Hurley Serial Numbers
- Auto Ordnance M1 Carbine Serial Numbers
- Thompson Auto Ordnance 1911 Serial Numbers
- The first serial number used when manufacturing began was No. 41 and this first Colt Thompson was delivered to the Auto-Ordnance Corporation in March 1921. The last serial number used on this initial production run was No. 15040 manufactured in July 1922.
- I have a Auto ordnance corp thompson 45 pistol. Serial number AOC27197. Trying to find out the age and worth. It has West Hurley NY on it.
- Auto ordnance serial number date. Jump to Latest Follow 1 - 2 of 2 Posts. ForesterPumice Not a Gunsmith, but learning more everyday. Joined Sep 23, 2016 294.
- Duplicate Serial Numbers: Colt manufactured 60,000 pistols in the Ithaca serial number range (804), 41,696 in the Remington Rand serial number range (900), and 4,171 in the US&S serial number range (10896). Ithaca and Remington Rands where not manufactured or shipped in numerical order.
Military Commemorative Pistols with Matching Serial Number A) Cased Auto Ordnance U.S. Air Force Commemorative Model 1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol Estimate Price: $2,500 - $4,250.
This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V11N8 (May 2008) |
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Analysis of Serial Numbers
The Colt Patent Firearms Company of Hartford Connecticut was contracted by Auto-Ordnance to manufacture the first 15000 Thompson sub-machine guns from April 1921 to May 1922. Contract was signed on 18th August 1920. All were marked “Model of 1921” and bore a serial number which was placed in four locations on the gun on the first 1000 and then in three locations with the rest.
The first commercial production gun was numbered 41 and was shipped on 31st March 1921– numbers 1 to 40 were all considered prototypes and remain to this day in Museums in the US. Early guns were designated Model of 1919 and some were belt fed ammunition and only full automatic.
The sixth gun manufactured was serial number 46 and was the first gun consigned to Auto-Ordnance in the name of their salesman George Gordon Rorke on 2nd April. This gun was sold to the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
During first month of production, 28 Thompson guns were shipped to the IRA via George Gordon Rorke, salesman for Auto-Ordnance.
During February 1921 a group of men , all with obvious Irish surnames, ordered 50 Thompson guns from a salesman of Auto – Ordnance under the name of P.J. Gentry of New York who was a saloon-keeper on Manhattan’s Lower West Side and frontman for the IRA.
On May 25th these were delivered and within days, the guns, the men and Mr. Gentry had disappeared.
In March 1921 the first Thompson guns were produced by Colt and were sent to Auto-Ordnance for hand finishing and inspection. The first two guns were shipped in the name of a Mr. Wise, a front man for the IRA.
These guns were tested by their Irish “purchasers” Sean Nunan (later to become Ireland’s Ambassador to the US!) and Laurence de Lacy (also known as Frank Williams) at the 69th Regimental Armoury. The two guns soon left for Ireland hidden in the luggage of Irish American military officers Cronin and Dineen (later to take commissions in the Irish Army) who were sent to Ireland to train the IRA in the guns’ use.
Auto-Ordnance salesman Rorke placed and order for his Irish clients on April 5th comprising 500 guns, 125 (x100) drums, 250 (x50) drums and 1000 (x20) box magazines.
Clann na Gael, Irish fund raising organisation in the US, maintained an arms dump at La Fontaine Avenue in the Bronx , New York. Other weapons of all ages were stored here along with ammunition destined fro the struggle in Ireland. 25 Thompson guns arrived there during April 1921 , another 30 on May 6th, another 45 on May 11th with further deliveries of 240 guns in total on 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st May. By end of May 400 Thompsons were amassed at the Bronx warehouse.
A number of addresses of convenience were recorded in the meticulously kept Auto-Ordnance company records. This enabled guns to be sold to the Irish but give the impression of different business customers. While it is not certain all were IRA conduits, some were. Of interest were:
American Railway Express Companyof 46th Street, New York
were used as a front for the purchase of guns sold by G.G.Rorke for in April, May and June some 306 were ‘shipped’ there. A definite IRA purchase.
Milton Kohn Export Corporation on Panama Railroad & Steamship Company of New York
were shipped 29 guns.
Moore-Handley of Birmingham Alabama
were shipped 16 guns.
Logan Hardware & Supply of Logan, West Virginia
were shipped 5 guns.
W.S.Brown, 523 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
was shipped 7 guns.
P.J. Gentryof New York
/1963-Chevrolet-Corvette-Z06-Matching-Numbers-Engine-Stamp_Mecum-Auctions-56a1cbe25f9b58b7d0c2b58a.jpg "Serial")
was shipped 50 guns. A definite IRA purchase.
Thomas F Ryan, 3 East 67th Street, New York
was shipped 2 guns. The senior Director of Auto-Ordnance.
Morgan, Salesman for Auto-Ordnance
Was consigned during April guns #69, #75 and #66 – the latter now with Bapty & Co. London, movie prop business.
Captain Geo T.Wise, Washingtom DC
was shipped 7 guns. Serial numbers 42 and 43 were shipped on 24th March in his name and with connection “USMC Navy Order”. From the Auto-Ordnance very first shipping chart week ending 9th April 1921, the third line records the sale of two guns #42 and #43 dated 24th March 1921 destination Capt G.T. Wise C/o Frank Ochsenreiter of Washington. The order had been pre-paid. With the order came 10 (XX) magazine, 4 (L) drums, 2 (C ) drums, 2 webbing gun cases, 6 webbing magazine cases, 1 handbook.
Ochsenreiter was a salesman colleague of George Rorke and fellow member of the Friends for Irish Freedom. He worked for another of Fortune Ryan’s companies at the time.
Interstingly gun #811 sold to Geo.Wise was captured by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Northern Ireland in an IRA arms dump.
Captain H.B.C. Pollard, London England
was shipped 14 guns – four on 26th April plus 10 on 5th May. The Captain, Hugh Bertie Campbell Pollard, was born 6th January 1888, served as an Officer in WW1 in Intelligence, and in 1920 was appointed as an Intelligence officer on the Staff of the Chief of Police Ireland. He was an authority in modern and ancient firearms and had written several notable books (The Story of Ypres in 1917, The Book of the Pistol and Revolver in 1917, Automatic Pistols in 1921 and Secret Societies of Ireland in 1922).
He was a journalist for the Daily Express from 1912.During WW1 he was on the Staff Intelligence Directorate at the War Office and then was listed at the Irish Office 1920-1922 based at Dublin Castle. His title was Press Officer with Police Authority Information Section. He was instrumental in putting the British side during the propaganda was with the IRA and would have been under the threat of assassination by the IRA during his Irish stay. During 1936 he was personally involved in the Spanish Civil War by flying Franco to Spain. During WW2 Pollard served as a British M16 officer.
Auto Ordnance Serial Numbers
In his work “Secret Societies of Ireland” published in July 1922 fresh from his stint as Press Officer in Dublin Castle, he made reference on several pages to the Thompson gun in Ireland. He described it as “no longer than a carbine, and weighing only 8lbs, is to all effects a short range machine gun, capable of firing one thousand rounds a minute. It is extremely portable and very easily concealed”. He refered to the capture by the British of IRA documents in May 1921 outlining the deployment of the gun around Ireland and identifying of targets.He recorded that the British had been interested in the gun too and had confronted John Thompson and manager Morgan when they were in Britain demonstrating the gun.The two denied all knowledge of the Irish shipment and as a result the interest was dropped.He said that it was the British who blew the whistle on the East Side shipment.He was aware that serial numbers could be traced. Of the 600 purchased, only 495 were seized on the ship, the balance he wrote, had made their way to Ireland before and after the July 1921 Truce.
Auto Ordnance M1a1 Serial Numbers
Several times Pollard wrote that the first use of the Thompson Gun in Ireland was during the IRA burning of the Customs House in Dublin on 25th May 1921 which resulted in large scale capture of IRA men and materials. He said the gun ‘jammed badly and inflicted no casualties on the police engaged’. The IRA records do not support this assertion.
This was an ingenious cover for IRA purchases.
In police arms seizures back in Ireland, two guns shipped to H.D. Folsom Arms Company of New York turned up, one shipped to Watson Hardware & Company of Ashland Kentucky, one shipped to State Police Hartford Connecticut.
29 from the first 100 produced were sold to the IRA.
The following figures cannot be exact as dates shipped overlapped different months;
April 1921 –96 manufactured numbered 41 to 136 (28 shipped to IRA agents)
May 1921 – 707 manufactured numbered 137 to 843 (413 shipped to IRA agents)
Auto Ordnance West Hurley Serial Numbers
June 1921 – 1480 manufactured numbered 844 to 2323 (96 shipped to IRA agents)
Thompson gun serial no.1117 was the last recorded gun shipped with IRA connections on 6th June 1921.
Two serial numbers 701 and 901 were recorded as being on the East Side seizure.
Some 55% of the first two months production went to the IRA.
Hemmingway’s novel “To Have and Have Not” carries in its Penguin edition a jacket picture of Thompson serial no. 66. This gun was shipped on 11th April 1921 and “taken abroad with Morgan” (Auto-Ordnance salesman) and is now with film prop company Bapty’s & Co. of London.
Interarmco in the US bought up a batch of Irish Thompsons in 1957.
Hundreds of Model of 1921 guns have been seized by both the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in N.Ireland, the Garda in Eire and the British police in Great Britain – all originating from the East Side cache. Some have had legible serial numbers while others have had their numbers defaced. Guns still remain in concealed arms caches to this day.
From 1922 to today, the RUC reported 61 guns seized in arms finds of which 21 serial numbers were recorded and of these 15 were from East Side.
One gun is RUC hands was #811, shipped to George T Wise, Auto-Ordnance salesman on 10th June 1921.
During period 1935 to 1981, the Garda seized 227 Thompson guns of which 40 carried legible serials. Of these 29 were East Side traceable.
Interesting serials captured from the IRA in Ireland included #372 shipped to Connecticut State Police, #722 shipped to Folsom Arms Company of New York, #894 shipped to Watson Hardware Company of Ashland Kentucky.
Defacing serial numbers was common as 395 out of the 495 guns found on the East Side were obliterated.
There is even an IRA Thompson in a Museum in Norway.
The Irish Free State Army from 1922 used Thompsons until the 1950’s.These were sold off to foreign collectors at that time….records not kept.The guns were sold to Interarmco (Interarms) in the US.
Interestingly during 1923 after the devisive Civil War the Free State army held 20 Thompsons while the IRA held estimated 60 guns.
Mikes Machine guns fine website records Irish Thompsons serial no.’s 389, 586, 708 and 993 are in a collection in New Zealand.
An analysis of the serial numbers for which records were kept and retrieved for the first 1000 guns thanks to the East Side case where they were used in court.
1921 | Dates recorded / dates shipped |
March | April | May | June | |
Guns | 6 | 112 | 590 | 1451 |
1921 | Purchasers |
PJ Gentry | G.G. Rorke | A.R.E.Co | Wise | details none | |
Guns | 46 | 184 | 306 | 1 | 104 |
Auto Ordnance M1 Carbine Serial Numbers
Serial 811 shipped 10th June 1921 was consigned to a George T Wise of Washington DC – this weapon was captured by the Royal Ulster Constabulary years later.
I have been able to track down serial numbers and locations as per chart below. As expected, Museums in Ireland north and south have plenty of examples. Interesting to note that Imperial War Museum London (thanks to Paul Cornish) has two and that serial no. 383 has a defaced number on frame. Also the two guns in National Firearms Centre (formerly Pattern Room) have their serial numbers defaced. This defacing was refered to in court during the East Side trial. During the 1950’s captured weapons were sold off to the collectors market. Hundreds of Thompson guns have been captured by the Irish police, British Army, and Royal Ulster Constabulary in arms seizures from 1921 to 1981.
Many of these were destroyed under the law.
Thompson Auto Ordnance 1911 Serial Numbers
Current Location | Serial number | Date shipped | Sold to | Consigned to |
Collins Barracks Dublin | 847 | 07/06/1921 | American Rail Express Co. NY | G.G.Rorke |
Collins Barracks Dublin | 815 | 27/05/1921 | G.G.Rorke | |
RUC Museum Belfast | 301 | 11/05/1921 | Auto-Ordnance NY | G.G.Rorke |
RUC Museum Belfast | 719 | 21/05/1921 | American Rail Express Co. NY | G.G.Rorke |
RUC Museum Belfast | 460 | 03/06/1921 | American Rail Express Co. NY | G.G.Rorke |
RUC Museum Belfast | 876 | 03/06/1921 | American Rail Express Co. NY | G.G.Rorke |
RUC Museum Belfast | 925 | 03/06/1921 | American Rail Express Co. NY | G.G.Rorke |
Irish Army Barracks Museum | 832 | 07/06/1921 | American Rail Express Co. NY | G.G.Rorke |
Kilmainham Gaol Dublin | 232 | |||
Kilmainham Gaol Dublin | 1083 | |||
British Army Warminster | 482 | 18/05/1921 | American Rail Express Co. NY | G.G.Rorke |
Wexford Museum Enniscorthy | 1080 | 07/06/1921 | American Rail Express Co., NY | G.G.Rorke |
Imperial war Museum London | 383 | |||
Imperial war Museum London | 880 | |||
Military College Curragh | 914 | |||
National Firearms Centre Leeds | erased | |||
National Firearms Centre Leeds | erased | |||
New Zealand | 630 | 25/05/1921 | P.J. Gentry, NY | |
New Zealand | 389 | 18/05/1921 | American Rail Express Co.,NY | G.G.Rorke |
New Zealand | 586 | 20/05/1921 | American Rail Express Co.,NY | G.G.Rorke |
New Zealand | 708 | 03/06/1921 | American Rail Express Co.,NY | G.G.Rorke |
New Zealand | 993 | 03/06/1921 | American Rail Express Co.,NY | G.G.Rorke |