Here's a item you don't see for sale too often. A Enfield wire cutter

Picked this up at a show this weekend. It's the first I can ever remember seeing out side of the books and some informational sites.
The maker was C.H. Pugh Ltd, Birmington, England. All I could find in my initial research on the company is they also manfactured Enfield charger clips.
It fits all three WWI British rifles. The Lee Enfield, Ross and P14.
Here's photos of it. The photo shows it on a 1917 Enfield as I don't have a P14. Ray

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With thanks to ~Angel~ and warren, there was an interesting entry from 2007 about these rare wire cutters.

1917 No.1 MKII Wire Cutter for ShtLE Rifle (click here)

This MKL entry includes on-line videos demonstrating how the wire cutter works when mounted on an Enfield rifle, as well as feedback from MILSURPS.COM member "warren", who describes its operation in detail.

Regards,
Doug

I did see that site and used the photos to compare mine to, thanks.

Just for information while researching it I see they are actually making repros of them. Ray

Very nice piece Ray...good catch

Here's some breakers and a cutter.....https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../cutters-1.jpg
The cutters showed up on the market about 30 years ago. A case of them was found in a cellar in London. Once you got the paper and rust off them they were not too bad at all.
The breakers used show up on occasion, however have not seen one on the loose for a few years now

Ray,
Vey nice indeed. Now I could be wrong, but perhaps if we can persuade Warren to dust off his monocle & have a really careful look at your photo's I think you may well have the first model (is it the No1 Mk1 rather than the 'commoner' No1 Mk2?), as issued for The Somme in 1916!! The Mk2's are most commonly found made by 'Decimals' of Selly Oak, also here in Brum & are generally from 1917, although I'm sure I have also seen these made by 'Pugh'. The 'horns' on the Mk1's are not quite as long as on the Mk2's; I am looking at a set of Mk2's at the moment & they have three rivets along the long 'horn' & two on the short; yours definitely does not have three rivets & looks a little squatter than the Mk2. Somwhere I have a 'Pugh' first pattern set that I actually bought from the Delville Wood South African Memorial museum many years ago, when it was run by a lovely & enterprising Scottish lady called Janet Fairgrieve. She used to sell memorabilia as a side-line from the memorial tea rooms! As I observed, I may well be incorrect on this as accessories of this type are not really my cuppa, but.........whadya think Warren??
Apologies if I have the nomenclature wrong as well.....it's all in Skennerton, I'm just too lazy to go & look; & it doesn't affect the point made....
They are all very rare & whatever model you have turned up, you did well...

ATB

Wow Warren, what a collection of rare ones. Here in the states you don't often see any of those. Mine is the first one I have ever seen for sale here of the wire cutter one.
Ray

Here is a rare one.....The top one is for the 1910 Ross but alas no leather handguard to go with it. It is on a Mk. II right now. Bottom is a Lee Enfield cutter by Decimals.
I've only ever seen one other Ross wire cutter.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC00011-1.jpg

Warren,
Your fellow countryman B D-L bought a set of Ross cutters from me a few years ago. Don't know if he still has them.
Do you think Ray's cutters are the first model?

Thanks Roger, now I am curious about what model it is.
I just want to add that the gun show along with the whole weekend was unbelievable and real great for me as in addition at the show I picked up a super scarce marked original 1917 Enfield grenade launcher in the most unusual way. Here is the story on it.

M1917 US Grenade Launcher attatchment

And that's not all. Before I left for the show I saw an add on one of the forums for a M10 Ross rifle for $250 shipped. The ad said it was a parts rifle and was not to shoot. Figured the parts were worth it so I bought it.
When I arrived home from the show the rifle was at the house and after checking it, all I can find wrong with it is the bolt is mismatched. $250 for a Ross, got a scarce 1917 grenade launcher and a Enfield wire cutter. Couldn't ask for a better weekend, Ray

Ray,
I take my hat off to you!

Here's the Ross. What is the PLY stamp for, an inspector? 95% plus metal finish, stock has some usage dings, Ray

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Originally Posted by rayg

Here's the Ross. What is the PLY stamp for, an inspector? 95% plus metal finish, stock has some usage dings, Ray

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PLY is often found on Mk III Roses, and stands for PLYMOUTH Royal Marine Base. Apparently, at the beginning of WWI, there was a shortage of SMLEs until production ramped up. so, the Royal Marines gave their SMLEs to the army, and they were in turn equipped with Ross Mk IIIs once we stopped using them front line. There is a nice entry about them in the Rossrifle.com forum--pictures of Royal MArines armed with Ross Mk III's watching the German fleet scuttle itself in 1919. A bit of an unwritten history of the Ross rifle. You will also see CRB, for the CROMBIE Marine Base. Interesting rifle, and a VERY nice find on the wire cutters!

Ed

Thanks for that info Ed.

Warren where are you! :)

Ray

Whenever I see these things, maybe it's me, but I always imagine the platoon Sergeant walking along the trench doling out a wire cutter to every sixth man or so, and the conversation........
Private Black: What are these for Sergeant?
Sgt Jones: Ah, yes..... you fix it onto your rifle, then when we go over the top in a few minutes, you go on ahead....., not to fast mind you, and we'll follow. You get to the wire and snip it like this (demonstrates.....) and we'll all follow you through with our bayonets and blood curdling screams.
PB: But won't they be shooting at us, me in particular as I'm letting the whole platoon through to get at them with our recently razor sharp bayonets
SgtJ: Look 'ere you little scroat, don't start poncing around, just get out there and I'll speak to you after the advance
PB: .............er........, will I still be here after the advance then Sergeant?
SgtJ: Oh stop being a wimp and just get there over the top when I blow the whistle........

Yes........., not my sort of accessory for some reason

DPL,
Judging by the number of dug up examples I've seen on The Somme, you aren't the only person to hold that view. They are sufficiently common that you get the impression they were fairly readily discarded!

ATB

Mine looks like Pvt. Black did indeed drop it.Attachment 34450Attachment 34451


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Originally Posted by rayg

I did see that site and used the photos to compare mine to, thanks.

Just for information while researching it I see they are actually making repros of them. Ray

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Are the repros easily distringuished from the originals? How would one tell them apart? I know that some pretty well done repros of bayonets and such are now readily available (M1917 Enfield, etc), but didn't realize that the wirecutters were being done too. I've been looking for a set of wirecutters for some time now, so now will have to be very careful. Sigh.

Ed

Ed, Warren had emailed me in response to my question regarding the model of my cutter and he also added some info on the repro cutters. This is what he said about them, Ray

"I did see some repro's of the cutters being sold in the UK at Beltring last year but the metal was so thin they looked like they were fabricated from pop cans. The batch I saw was made in Vietnam by DUG UP".

Many more of the Naval markings (see thread # 12 above) are also explained in the little butt marking disc identification book - available from Brian at BDL. the initials NOD followed by initials, such as NOD C or Ch is also a navy giveaway....., in this case, Naval Ordnance Depot, Chatham

There's a guy who regulalry lists a set of repro Pugh cutters on UK ebay - they look to be better than the dug up ones but the give away is that they're too new looking & the Pugh markings are engraved on rather than rolled. He says they might be repro's or words to that effect & he prices them at around 100 pounds or maybe a little over.

I have a very nice spare set of decimals 1917 cutters which I picked up in Belgium recently, but I'm still agonising over whether to sell them or not.....!

ATB

I think I saw two pairs of cutters in the up-coming Holts sale if anyone wants to check,

John