Both the Lanchester and the Patchett were developed during WWII at Sterling Engineering Co Ltd, of Dagenham, Essex, England.Sterling also manufactured silenced DeLisle carbines for clandestine British Commando units. The Mkll Patchett Machine Carbine was adopted as the L2A1 in 1953, and the "first Sterling", the MkIII, as the L2A2 in 1955. Then came Sterling's "Crown Jewel" the Mk4, adopted as the L2A3 in 1955 with over 400,000 manufactured by ROF Fazakerley and Sterling for the UK Military, and by Sterling for worldwide commercial sale.

Covers all prototypes and military Marks: the silenced Sterling-Patchett Mk5, the Canadian C1 and the Indian 1A Machine Carbines, plus all commercial Sterling carbines and pistols.by Peter Laidler and David Howroyd,

Deluxe First Edition, 1995,

336 pages, 371 illustrations.