Painted Butt Markings... B.B.W.S.

[Son]

I am involved in a discussion in another group that was trying to nut out what the markings mean on a No4 butt. (pic below) From it's markings it appears to be a No4 Mk1 that was made at Maltby very early on and was FTR'd to No4 Mk2 standard, in 1954.

Attachment 84516

The challenge got a little more interesting when an old advert for a 1917 Lithgow advertised as having been FTR'd in 1947 was brought up. Copy pasted, here is the detail from the ad...

"The sight ladder is 1942 production; the sight base and barrel band are OA (Orange Rifle Factory No.3) marked. The BA (Bathurst Rifle Factory No. 2) nose cap without piling swivel was adopted in late 1941; the round/rectangular windows cut into the ears is a modification introduced in 1944. , Lithgow replacement-barrel dated 4-47 and is marked as sighted in for the Mark VII HV-SC cartridge. The bore is clean and shiny-bright. The right butt stock is paint marked BBWS 9/55. The receiver is import marked, indicating this rifle arrived in the US sometime after 1968. "

Attachment 84517

Undoubtedly both rifles are marked the same, but a British No4 and a Lithgow together somewhere in the world in the fifties????

Any help greatly appreciated. Seem to have exhausted the usual avenues,

TIA,
Brad.

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

Bovington Base Workshop as it was then and later 18 Command Workshop and then 18 District Workshop. There were still thousands and thousands of No1 rifles in the system in the 50's. They were the bread and butter for all Cadet Forces, including my school CCF when I joined the Army as an apprentice in January 1963 although we did have some No4's too. The LAST No1 rifles in service that I saw were the old EY rifles. There were still No1 rifles in Cadet service when the REME were configuring the DP L50 series. But that forced a couple of issues and they were withdrawn thereafter. As for it being Australian or anything else....., it didn't make any difference to us whatsoever. Same as Savage or LB No4's or Lithgow Brens didn't