Photograph of Indian soldiers using a Bren gun. A gas-operated weapon, the Bren used the same . 303 ammunition as the standard British rifle, the Lee-Enfield, firing at a rate of between 480 and 540 rounds per minute (rpm), depending on the model. It was the standard light machine gun of Commonwealth armies during World War Two. The Indian Army used it widely, although the Vickers-Berthier was later adopted as well. Part of a collection of official photographs from Middle and Far East, World War Two. Collected by Maj Gen (later Lt Gen) Sir Frank Walter Messervy.