Lithgow No1 - so many markings

[xa-coupe]

Greetings all.
I have a no1 MkIII* that's been in the family 40 or so years. Thanks to this site I have figured out a lot about it and where it was issued to.
The barrel shank and receiver ring have been stamped by just about every one in government service it seems.
It was issued to the Air Farce but I don'tr see any 'D' markings, is this the case with AF issued rifles?
The dates I see on the rifle are:
1942 - Manuf
1943 - barrel (matching serial no )
1948 - a proof mark? on the barrel
1953 ( on the bolt head, no size numbering )
1955 on the left hand side of the receiever.
Are the number of different dates all over the place common ?

It was FTRd at some stage, how do I tell where? I suspect Lithgow but would like to confirm

Here is a pic of the area in question:



thanks for any help.

Information

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[jrhead75]

All the stamps visible in your photo would indicate Lithgow. If it was "formally" FTR'd at Lithgow, there would normally be an FTR stamped on the receiver ring, and MA55 (for example) stamped on the left side of the buttsocket, under the safety spring.

[xa-coupe]

Thanks Jrhead, it does indeed have MA 55 on the LHS of the buttsocket. There is a big F.T.R on the RHS of the receiver ring too.
There are stamps of various sorts all over this thing, I only have 2 No4s to compare it too and they are fairly spartan compared to this.

[Son]

Post pics of the stamps a couple at a time and we'll fill in the blanks. If you get real interested there are a couple of books that will make all this easy for you. They will pay for themselves with money saved not buying the wrong rifles over time.

[xa-coupe]

Thanks Son, I think I may invest in the books. I have noticed the price of Enfields are pretty high these days, I don't want to spend big on a dud.

A couple more pics. Please excuse the paranoia about the serial no. Other numbers that aren't recorded are left as is.

Rear of the receiver.


Serial No


I realise this isn't a collectible item as it was sporterised by my dad in the 70s. I found a DP rifle years ago and stripped it for the wood and front metalwork. I am using it as a learning aid.