New No4 MKII's...consecutive serial numbers

[5thBatt]

Re bayonets, from what i've been able to find out, the lump that i have highlighted could well be a bayonet as this is the location in the wrap i was told you can find them.

[Time Bandit]

Re bayonets, from what i've been able to find out, the lump that i have highlighted could well be a bayonet as this is the location in the wrap i was told you can find them.

Can you tell by giving it a quick grope...? If it is a bayo it should be pretty obvious...maybe...?

[Calfed]

Thanks, 5th, I'll check it when the 10 day waiting period is up.

[Peter Laidler]

That's the middle band and sling loop. Listen......... THEY WERE NOT PACKED WITH BAYONETS. The old VAOS number is on the wrapper for you to see. If there was a bayonet in there, it would be identified by a different ASSEMBLY (B1/CR xx-A) or GENERAL assembly (B1/CRxx-GA) part number

[Frederick303]

While I am sure that Capt. Laidler is correct in so far as UK military practice, when I was speaking with fellows that did the inventory at Irish barracks prior to shipment overseas, the details were otherwise.

On unissued rifles that were in the original boxes, the packing consisted of the following: each wood box had 5 rifles wrapped in grease, along with 5 bayonets and scabbards. The bayonets and scabbards were wrapped in greased paper. They were not serialized to any of the rifles. They were not in the wrap with the rifle, but packed with the rifles in the same box.

The men (members of the FCA) cut open the wrappings on each and every rifle by the left hand side of the action body, to ensure that the serial number of rifle matched the posted copy on the box.

The wrappings were not removed, a simple slice was made in line with where the action body markings were and the paper peeled back to reveal the data.

[Peter Laidler]

When it is prudent to do so, you'll read some home truths about these Irish rifles from a MOST unlikely but impeccable source. I'll call then 'so called' Irish rifles from now on..........

Re threads 24 and 25 above, maybe I should have used the word WRAPPED instead of packed so line 1 thread 24 should read '....they were not wrapped with bayonets'

[drweiler]

While I am sure that Capt. Laidler is correct in so far as UK military practice, when I was speaking with fellows that did the inventory at Irish barracks prior to shipment overseas, the details were otherwise.

On unissued rifles that were in the original boxes, the packing consisted of the following: each wood box had 5 rifles wrapped in grease, along with 5 bayonets and scabbards. The bayonets and scabbards were wrapped in greased paper. They were not serialized to any of the rifles. They were not in the wrap with the rifle, but packed with the rifles in the same box.

The men (members of the FCA) cut open the wrappings on each and every rifle by the left hand side of the action body, to ensure that the serial number of rifle matched the posted copy on the box.

The wrappings were not removed, a simple slice was made in line with where the action body markings were and the paper peeled back to reveal the data.

Not to detract from a lively debate about the 'Irish Contract', Calfed's wrapped rifle is UF 55 A15546. I've read on another British forum (ARRSE) that the 'Irish' rifles were in the 'PF' series, and the 'UF' series starting in '54 were for the RAF but most stayed in stores till sold off, perhaps, like Calfed's two rifles.

[Peter Laidler]

You are getting VERY warm DrWeiler. The UF serial number prefix was a requirement for the UK Military and on the No4's in particular, for the RAF who were to be armed with No4's for many years thereafter. This was due to a forthcoming (at the time) shortage of the new L1A1's due to industrial strife at Fazakerley. Strife the eventually turned into suicide.

Don't forget that until the 70's the Navy, RAF and ASrmy were TOTALLY separate forces with their own procurement and logistical systems

[mrbungle]

i always thought that the "irish contract" rifles were to be shipped to the ireland but the one english bloke said..."wait a minute.........you want to give weapons to the bloody irish?? are you mad? " the english had a change of heart and the rifles went into storage........why send guns to the IRA? .......those guys were making their own machine guns, those enfields would have been used against the english....

[Peter Laidler]

If the Irish Army had all the weapons that were supposedly shipped to them (but they didn't.....) they'd have had enough to numerically equip 30 complete Infantry Battalions.............. Say that again slowly...... THIRTY complete Infantry Battalions........ For a Defence Force for a nation with only one border!