Article: 1912 No.1 MkIII Enfield Rifle (Battle Damaged)

[Badger]

You can view the page at https://www.milsurps.com/content.php...attle-Damaged)

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[Ian Skennerton]

This thread is most interesting with its photographs, the comments on damage, likely protection by the owner's body parts, and then the original issue markings. My original post and inquiry for a study of battle damage on firearms and edged weapons did not comprehend such monumental damage. However this is par for the course and displays the knowledge and interest of forum members. Provenance of the rifle from its markings can provide a clue to issue and maybe the theatre too.
Ian Skennerton

[Seaforth72]

A great specimen indeed. You should do everything you can to trace the history!

I have my father's 1918 SMLE (No.1 Mk. III*) that was used on the Dieppe Raid in August 1942 and was brought back by one of the approximately 50 survivors of the Essex-Scottish Regiment. It was written off, my Dad as a reinforcement officer fixed it up and then carried it on training and a Commando raid, and later brought it homw with him.

Battle damaged firearms are quite interesting, especially when one can research the history. e.g. the Imperial War Museum has a 9mm Browning pistol on display with a bullet hole through the grip.

In the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Museum and Archives in Vancouver, British Columbia, there is a .38 Smith & Wesson (as I recall) revolver with a bullet strike on the trigger guard. Sadly no-one bothered to write down the story when it came in, so that history is now lost.

I had started that museum in 1972 while serveing as an officer with the regiment and I ran the museum on three "tours of duty" for 13 years. It is now an official Canadian Forces Museum. While I was Curator there, one of many weapons I added to the collection was a Ross M10 rifle which looked like it was battle damaged but which was actually the result of a civilian accident. The rifle wood had been sporterized and an onstruction halfway down the barrel had spit the barrel wide open, except that it was intact at breech and muzzle! The forend wood was blown away so it was not obviously civilianized. It is a real eyecathcer, useful for warning our soldiers to keep their barrels clear, and most amazingly of all, the bolt still worked smoothly, a teastament to the strength of the Ross action. It was donated by Alan Lever, then owner of Lever Arms in Vancouver.