WIB HISTORY October 3, 2018 Matthew Moss
An M1908 Webley pistol sporting an M1929 Parker Hale silencer is part of the British National Army Museum’s firearms collection. The museum’s catalogue entry on the pistol states that it was used by the British Special Operations Executive during World War II.
Exactly what the SOE did with the silencer-equipped Webley remains a secret.
The Model 1908 Webley is a hammer-fired, blowback-operated semi-automatic chambered in .32 ACP. It improved on the earlier 1905 Webley & Scott semi-automatic pistol designs by being slimmer and having some internal simplifications and improvements. The silenced example has had its front sight removed. This is unlikely to have been a major issue, as the weapon was intended for short-range use.
Parker Hale began producing firearms-silencers in the 1920s. There are a number of examples of Allied pistols being outfitted with pre-war Parker Hale suppressors. The Parker Hale silencers are baffle-based. The example pictured above appears to be a 35-shilling No.M.M.2 silencer, which had a standard length of 6.75 inches and weighed a surprising 10 ounces.