trials no4 front sights, the ol SM 41

[RJW NZ]

A peculiar thought has occurred me, (one that doesn't need censoring either,lol), about these early front sight guards on the trials no4's. The one on mine is marked SM 41 like many others we see pics of.
What sort of shape were these trials rifles in when they were brought back into service that their original front guard was not on them, and hence needed a 1941 made model? Were they a pile of incomplete barrel/actions/bolts and little else, or ... Have there been any anecdotes about the process from someone who'd been there ?

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

There are two questions there RJ. Whether the rifles were brought up to spec from heaps of tat is unlikely to be answered but I wouldn't have thought so. The second question is why are there Mk1 trials parts made outside Enfield. The reason is that the drawings that went off to Singer in Glasgow (thought to be out of bombing range...., but not for long!) were the original drawings. So, they made what was on the drawing sheet spec. That was until the Pilkington committee for the simplification of small arms got their teeth into them and told them to simplify everything, which they did. It was apprived and the drawings changed to what we now expect as the norm.

Incidentally, all was not well at Singers who, being a US company and neutral, originally refused to undertake war work, especially the manufacture of small arms parts. That is until Churchill told them that the problem had been solved in a most cunning way. He nationalised them the next day. It's more complicated than that but............

[jmoore]

Dang, I just did this same comment a few threads over... The '41 Singer Mfg. sight protector would have no real reason to be on an Enfield built No.4 Mk.I except as a replacement part that just happened to be handy. Can't think of a good reason for it otherwise. It's roughly 7-10 years NEWER than the rifle.

Maybe they were quickly relegated to the spares bins when the simplified models came on line?

[RJW NZ]

thank you gents, history there I didn't know about. It would be hard to imagine today the state of desperation that must have existed after Dunkirk. lol, funny Churchill story. I remember his funeral like it was yesterday, is he now at St Pauls?.

[Mk VII]

He was buried at Bladen in Oxfordshire (near Blenheim Palace).

[Surpmil]

....Incidentally, all was not well at Singers who, being a US company and neutral, originally refused to undertake war work, especially the manufacture of small arms parts. That is until Churchill told them that the problem had been solved in a most cunning way. He nationalised them the next day. It's more complicated than that but............

Har, har. Reminds me of this one: