UVF Ulster Lee Speed

[Frederick303]

Then it was likely a personally owned rifle, which is consistent with what is known, as the marked and issue number rifles tend to be .303 martinis, Maybe Vetterlis (10.4 Italian) and 1904 Steyr Mannlichers (8mm). Of course this is conjecture on my part, I do not know but it is consistent with the issues related to the 1870 firearms act,which one does read about in old volumes on the topic.

When I was researching such stuff I only ever saw one SMLE so marked and it was marked with a disc UVF 164, with no hand imprint. Other than a few martinis and Steyr 1904 rifles, actual UVF rifles that can be identified are very rare. For example, though the Vetterlis were know to have been issued to the Ulster home guard in 1940, I could not find any rifle with issue marks, though I did not look very hard, my interest being Enfields.

Also the source of these arms: back in the 1970s when the troubles were at their height, the Ulster police at various times sold off "lots" of confiscated arms that they had collected in Belfast. The last sales record I wav seen was from 1981. As they could not be imported into the US of A they seem to have gone to the UK, Canada and Australia at the time. The UK seemed to be the final resting place for a bunch of 1921 Tommy guns, which I presume were made into non-firing display pieces.

If you were interested in sending me data on the rifle, I would put it in my database of Irish rifles.

Information

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[boltaction]

Will do. There were actually two in that auction. I had bookmarked a Long Lee Enfield BSA commercial as well but didn't bid on it as the description didn't state whether it was matching or not and the auctioneer didn't answer my question. Looking at the photos again though it also had the oval mark on the buttstock. So, two in one auction.... it was serial number 37571 accordig to the auction description. Mine is serial number 1105

Ed

[5thBatt]

Then it was likely a personally owned rifle, which is consistent with what is known, as the marked and issue number rifles tend to be .303 martinis, Maybe Vetterlis (10.4 Italian) and 1904 Steyr Mannlichers (8mm). Of course this is conjecture on my part, I do not know but it is consistent with the issues related to the 1870 firearms act,which one does read about in old volumes on the topic.

When I was researching such stuff I only ever saw one SMLE so marked and it was marked with a disc UVF 164, with no hand imprint. Other than a few martinis and Steyr 1904 rifles, actual UVF rifles that can be identified are very rare. For example, though the Vetterlis were know to have been issued to the Ulster home guard in 1940, I could not find any rifle with issue marks, though I did not look very hard, my interest being Enfields.

Also the source of these arms: back in the 1970s when the troubles were at their height, the Ulster police at various times sold off "lots" of confiscated arms that they had collected in Belfast. The last sales record I wav seen was from 1981. As they could not be imported into the US of A they seem to have gone to the UK, Canada and Australia at the time. The UK seemed to be the final resting place for a bunch of 1921 Tommy guns, which I presume were made into non-firing display pieces.

If you were interested in sending me data on the rifle, I would put it in my database of Irish rifles.

A lot of the Tommy guns also came to NZ