[Outpost75]

Would it be safe to say that up until the adoption of the Browning 9mm, british service pistols were intended mainly to be badges of office?

Fairborne, Sykes and McBride's books would all indicate otherwise, as does M.R.D. Foote's history of the S.O.E. during WW2.

An academic paper on the subject which goes into great detail (38 pages) and is extensively attributed as to the great number of original sources researched:

http://www.worldwar1.com/tripwire/pdf/davidthomas.pdf

"....Twenty-two VCs were won, seven of them by officers, for promptness and marksmanship in the use of the pistol, rather than just carrying one in the hand."

“The revolver is… a weapon for quick use at close quarters… looked upon more as a defensive weapon than an arm of precision…for delivering a knock-down blow within the limits of its normal short fighting range… used instinctively… aligned and discharged as a shotgun is used on moving game, rather than being consciously sighted…”
- [British] Textbook of Small Arms, 1929

 

[Outpost75]

Another exerpt From A Dissertation by David Thomas (SRN 592736) in partial
fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA in British First World
War Studies, University of Birmingham, UK, September 2010 (link above in previous post #3 for those who wish to download this excellent reference).

Contrary to popular belief, the pistol had high intrinsic accuracy within its effective range, commonly accepted as 50 yards. It was safer in use at close quarters than grenades, particularly at night. It had a high rate of fire, good stopping power and was reliable and easy to maintain.

Revolvers in particular could be kept well protected from the elements, but at the same time fully loaded, with no safety catch, ready for rapid use. The pistol was probably the perfect weapon for use on horseback, provided it was used with moderate care. It was certainly better than the lance! Although it had questionable safety and utility in untrained hands, it was highly effective in the hands of a trained man. This was to present a training problem that would have to be, and was, grasped and is mentioned officially on several occasions.

Above all, it was a weapon of opportunity and certainly much more useful than a club.12 These characteristics made the pistol the ideal for those who needed a weapon for self defence but whose primary role did not normally involve using a weapon, such as senior officers, staff officers, and military police. There was also a need to arm many personnel for whom a rifle was an unnecessary encumbrance, allied to the shortage of rifles with which to arm them.

These included those who worked on, or carried, crew served weapons. Such personnel as tank crews, machine gunners, aircraft crews etc, all needed personal defence weapons, particularly for occasions when separated from their main weapon. The pistol was also highly suitable for a number of offensive purposes in warfare, such as raids, fighting in trench systems, house clearing, patrols, and tunnelling. It also had more mundane uses such as controlling prisoners and putting down wounded animals.

The great expansion of the Army and the increase in personnel in the Machine Gun Corps, Tank Corps and Royal Flying Corps meant that large numbers of pistols were required.13 12 These characteristics have been pooled from C.D.Tracy, The Service Revolver and How to use It (London: Harrison & Sons, 1918) and J. Noel, How to Shoot with a Revolver (London: Foster and Groom, 1917)