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I recently stumbled upon this late war 1945 pamphlet - Jungle Jottings. I noticed at the bottom of one of the pages "An extra yielding (EY) rifle is a rifle that has been strengthened so that a 36 grenade can be fired from a cup discharger fitted to the end of the barrel." I have never heard of an EY rifle being described as Extra Yielding.
Interesting, never have I heard it either.
Every reference I have seen says EY is Emergency use onlY
A grenade firing rifle is marked GF
Nigel
Which country is that book based on.
I agree with A d E though many EY rifles were converted as a ready stock of rifles at hand. I haven't seen a EY rifle with a GF stamp even though it is a GF converted rifle. Neither have i seen a GF stamped rifle with a EY stamp. Both doing the same the same job coming from different starting points.
But there are EY rifles 'out in the wild' that are not GF rifles, so my thinking is that EY could not mean it was a GF rifle.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bindi2
My understanding is that the EY rifles had already been designated as 'second grade', probably because of wear and inaccuracy, so using them for conversion to GF 'saved' front line rifles being used for something that did not need a top quality rifle.
The fact the booklet quotes the 'War Office' and 'Crown Copyright' would suggest it is a British publication.
Interesting that in 1918 permission was given for the conversion of 'some' of the already existing EY rifles to GF (grenade firing)
Reynolds 'The Lee Enfield' (pages 120-121)
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...t2811png-1.jpg
I'm not sure, in my time, that there was ever a difference between EY rifles and GF rifles according to the EMER's, our bible.
EY indicated EmergencY and the last of these grenade firing No1 rifles I recall were all strengthened to be fitted with the old cup dischargers - which we didn't have - to throw the old No36 grenade!!!!! They were refurbished for war reserve stocks in the late 60's and we never saw them again. A lot of these rifles were clearly drawn from stocks of what were known as SUB STANDARD....., with silver band around the butt and fore-end. The EY's and SS's differed only in that the barrel gauging criteria was more relaxed and the fore-emnds could have more than 3 patches. Don't quote me as that is from memory of seeing them being overhauled
These rifles had the usual wire wrapping, put on by a fantastic simple method, using an old lathe bed and motor set to very slow and a matt khaki band around the butt with EY stencilled on the band in 1" markings. Not dissimilar to the DP rifles of the time
I didn't see specific GF or Grenade Firing rifles except for those No4's, No5's and L1A1's fitted with grenade dischargers. And these grenades were anti-vehicle Energa grenades
What is the context of the comments? Part of a collection of informal "after-action" reports? The chatty style is not typical of official publications.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nigel
Cancel that: I've flipped the photo.
To add to pile but Skennerton noted and I confirmed an unpublished manuscript refering to the EY marking as Edward Yule who was involved with grenade launching. For whart it is worth. I remember it because it did not make sense then or now.
Discussed previously: https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=4170&page=1
This is purely anecdotal & was a long time ago, but I have seen Indian rifles specifically marked GF............(or is that Gujarat Forces?!;)).
......Though they were wrapped & bore discharger cups. Somebody here in the UK had some deactivated a while back. I glanced at a few at arms fairs at the time.
Would that make an "EY" rifle a "Yule Log"?
I'll see myself out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger Payne
In 2019 D&B Militaria had them for sale at the 'War & Peace' show.
Both the shortened rifle and the grenade launcher were deactivated.
No cup launcher, or wire binding here .....................
https://vod-progressive-ak.vimeocdn..../985033297.mp4
They hadn't experienced burst barrels then! We had a few examples of grenades exploding in the cups at Warminster.
Yes, in the restrictedbook issued to Quartermasters dealing with foreign markings, GF did indeed indicate Gudgerat (?) Forces, part of the Indian Territorial or state forces. The ILO provided a list of the others that I recall. AL being one
In support of the assertion that the "E.Y." stamping does mean, May be used for ball ammo in emergency, and actually has little or nothing to do with Yule, Yielding, nor grenades, an artifact in the collection provides a bit of evidence.
Naturally, the arrival of Canfield's excellent "The U.S. Model of 1917 Rifle - America's Enfield" had me digging into the back row of rifles in one of the safes yesterday to pull out the M-1917's. Along with them came a couple of Pattern 1914's. One of the P'14's is an Eddystone in the low 32000 serial range in what appears to be original condition - matching bolt, volley sights, "fatso" stock, with all marked parts bearing "E" stampings. The trigger guard screws have been staked only once and are still, so I doubt this rifle has ever been taken apart since it was first assembled.
The butt has those interesting P'14 designation markings, * IE PATT. '14 , and right below that stack of marks a very prominent, EY. There is another "EY" stamped into the receiver. As this rifle has quite obviously never been issued, and certainly had nothing to do with grenade firing, I suspect the "EY" designation in this case probably just reflects the leeriness with which Eddystone manufactured P'14's were regarded in general, but it does present an unexpected use of the marking.
Because they went into store after WW1 would the EY stamp show it was not to be issued except in a Emergency
I would think they went into store during WWI, but when they were actually stamped "E.Y." would be harder to determine. The decision was made not to issue them, but in the press of wartime activity would they have bothered to mark them at that time?
The EY mark appears as early as 1904, long before grenade projecting came back into fashion.
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....64&cid=1&stc=1
What's para. 457 all about?
I think it's about the (then) normal arrangement of swivels only up the front band and in front of the magazine. Rifle regiments attached slings to butt and the band.
