Printable View
Picture 8, thread 1, left photo, lowest man with No4 and glasses is/was a REME Armourer. Well known photo in REME archives and this is to be recorded in the new Armourers Hall when the new training/archive facility opens at Lyneham in the near future.
Look nice if the bayonet was out of the scabbard
Thanks for the input Peter. The rifle is a 1949 Fazakerley. Have changed the spike bayonet to a No9 bayonet which is fixed to the rifle. Will update pics.
Hi Flying10uk.
Regarding your question re the cut up rifle.
I was contacted by a person who is a collector. He mentioned that he had two deactivated No4 mk1's and wanted to sell them. I organized to meet him and upon doing so one saw that one of the rifles was intact with all its original parts. The second one in question was in pieces as per my photo. I purchased both and decided to "restore" the cut up one. I have no idea why someone would deactivate in this manner. Another sad situation in South Africa is that we surprisingly have an abundance of SMLE's , No4 Mk1's and 2's that are sold at an average between the $250-$350 range. Unfortunately a high percentage of these rifles have been sporterized. It truly is a sad sight when I go to the range and see these historic rifles fitted up with high tech scopes. fancy stocks. etc and the worse the shortened barrel...... the only thing that reveales their identity up close are the markings on the receiver...and sometimes those are removed.....
Just a question about the abundance of the SMLE & No.4's after the war in Africa had moved back to the ETO and Britain I think had garrisons in Africa which eventually I gather were decommissioned did those rifles ever return to England or were they struck off charge and left to the African army
Thanks for your informative Post jnic_us; I find the history surrounding these Milserp items fascinating.
How did you fix the bayonet? The case looks too short. Surely you didn't make a longer case did you?
All of the African Regiments such as the Rhodesian African Rifles (who fought in Malaya between '54 and '56), the Kenya Regt etc etc - there were a lot of 'em - were British/white Officered who were seconded to them and equipped directly by the UK Government BUT paid for in a small way by their own Government. When they became independent the Army formations stayed pretty well as they were until they became totally Africanised. My Friend was a Company Commander in the VERY highly regarded Kenya Regiment. Alas, tribal loyalties replaced National loyalty and it all fell apart. Except for the Ghana Regt which wasn't (?) a tribalised Country..... or it only had 1 principal tribe and to this day remains............. anyway corrupt leaders and all that.......... and even the best of them fell to ratxxxx. Just like Major Lesle Bxxxxx said they would