Lee Enfield at War

[browningautorifle]

Illustrates the fact that generally speaking the war in the desert and Italy was generally fought with No1 rifles.

My dad told me a story about a night action he had with an individual German, involving his bayonet. Other stories of that same time(Italy) described clearly that he carried a #1 rifle...as stated. I had no doubt. Later troops must have come equipped (#4 rifle) and then replacement must have taken place during rotation to the rear.

Information

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[Roger Payne]

Hi Henry. The light railways used to supply the front in WW1 are a study in themselves. I just bought a fascinating book on them dealing with the area North of the Somme, including Arras & thereabouts. Of course standard gauge railways brought the bulk of the stuff as near to the front as they could, & then a mixture of both 1 metre & 60cm narrow gauge systems got the men & materials to (& casualties from) the front. I think the most up front railways were of the 60cm type. I know very little about the subject but a 60cm Decauville railway line ran past the top of my garden in the little village where I spend a lot of time these days (Somme, not far from High Wood), & when renovating the house we found a sleeper from the track holding up the chimney breast! It sort of stimulated a fledgling interest in the subject!

[Surpmil]

And look what's sitting on deck, the sore shoulder special, a few smoke pots and the top of a Patt.1151 compass.

[Luis Bren]

A New Zealander poses with his sniper rifle in the ruins of Cassino, 26 March 1944.



Source: COMMONWEALTH FORCES IN ITALY 1944 | Imperial War Museums

[Luis Bren]

Lance Corporal A P Proctor, a sniper with 56th Division, cleaning his rifle, 24 November 1943.



THE BRITISH ARMY IN ITALY 1943 | Imperial War Museums

[Mk VII]

One of the trials rifles that had been converted early on, and which were culled from the system in the 1950s.

[browningautorifle]

One of the trials rifles that had been converted early on

Pic 185, what a nice rifle. Yes, a trialls rifle.

[Peter Laidler]

Shame it's still cocked Jim!

[RobD]

I wonder if the previous picture [A New Zealander poses with his sniper rifle in the ruins of Cassino] also features a Trials T? Is that wood relieved for cutoff and an early style cocking piece?

[Surpmil]

I wonder if the previous picture [A New Zealander poses with his sniper rifle in the ruins of Cassino] also features a Trials T? Is that wood relieved for cutoff and an early style cocking piece?

No sign of the butt marking disk, nor of the cutoff, though slot may be there. Possibly an early Savage MkI as they had the thick top band or at least some did, as shown in TBS p.247. Foresight protector could be the fabricated type shown in the same photo in TBS.

Could also be an early BSA as the MkI forend & cocking piece were seen on a fair number of early non-trials rifles, both trials parts left over and sent to BSA and also some early production by outside contractors IIRC. For example am pretty sure SM made the waisted foresight protectors for a short time as well as the MkI cocking pieces.

Only way to tell for sure would be a closeup of the backsight relief cut: on the (Model B) trials rifles the cut was shallower due to the lack of the backsight plunger, on the Model C trials and all subsequent No.4 production, the relief cut was deeper and cuts through the right wall ahead of the sight axis pin hole.