No I don't know why. I see a lot of bayonets without scabards.
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Just picked up another "cherry" Eddystone, nearly as nice as the one described in my earlier post that I've had since 1974. This latest one is s/n 1278300 with an 11-18 bbl, nice sharp inspectors marks, all Eddystone parts, mint bore ,.301 muzzle, no refinishing, nice matching walnut, no marks/signs of foreign service. As a bonus it came with a Kerr sling and nickle plated oiler c/w thong and brush.
Concerning the hand guards, the upper hand guard on mine has the E on the top towards the rear. No marks at all underneath.
The bottom hand guard has no markings at all. So it's an Eddystone by default?
Early-on they stamped the handguards with E, R or W. But they busted up so many finished handguards that they halted the practice. Your rear handguard is most likely an Eddystone handguard.
My lower hand guard has nothing on it, either side but the upper is just like that pic.
Also, my bolt handle has the "E" on the side real close to the bolt body.