2-631-679 - Historic England/Heritage Images

British Army machine gun troop, May 1918. British cavalrymen from the 1st Life Guards with a Madsen Machine Rifle. A mounted soldier keeps the horses in the background. During the latter stages of the First World War British cavalry were expected to rapidly exploit breakthroughs beyond enemy trench lines. They were equipped with light machine guns that could be deployed quickly. The Madsen was undergoing trials in London in May 1918, at the same time as this photograph was taken.