Can any-one please confirm if the John Inglis manufacturing year started in January and ran until December or, as I suspect, started at some point in the previous year but ended before the end of the year in question, please? For example did the 1944 manufacturing year, marked under the John Inglis on the Bren body, start at some point in 1943 and end before December 1944?

The reason that I ask this is because following a close inspection recently of a 1944 dated J.I. Bren I also noted a 43 stamp on the other side of the receiver which looked like an abbreviated 1943 date. I realise that this could also possibly be an inspectors stamp although there were no other letter/number/digit stamps near it.

I know that during the 19th century Enfield had a system of starting it's manufacturing year part way through the previous year and a rifle may have been made the year before what is marked on the receiver. On Enfield made Martini Henry rifles the true manufacturing date was often marked on the forward underside of the receiver but could only be viewed after the removal of the fore-end woodworked. This true manufacture date is marked in the style, for example: 5/86 implying a manufacture date of May 1886. I do not know if Enfield continued with this policy of starting it's manufacturing year part way through the previous year into the 20th Century and until the factory closed but I have not heard that they did not.

I would be very grateful for any information on this matter, thanks.
Information
Warning: This is a relatively older thread
This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.