No4 mk1 , (F) Date1/49, PF 73,382

[Strangely Brown]

Why do we assume that the action bodies supplied by Faz were already serial numbered? Could they not have been supplied un-numbered for PH, Fultons etc. to apply a number from the allocated block, once they'd built rifles on them?

Possibly Harry, hence the early date.
I think where I am at odds with this one; would ROF Fazackerley have just put a date on and no serial number?

My example in post 11 clearly shows the date and number being put on by the same hand, which incidentally all of these examples have much larger numerals.
Which I think confirms a date must have been put on a receiver before leaving the ROF. I guess we might not ever know the answer to this!