Help with my SMLE history please...

[Roger Payne]

Hope you're soon back in the best of health Mick. You might regard the loft ladders as the ultimate objective of your rehabilitative physiotherapy programme!

[Daan Kemp]

The British broad arrow on the barrel and South African mark on the action indicate transfer from British to South African ownership. Possibly as part of the purchase after WWI.

The police marked their rifles with SAP on the butt, IIRC.

The 42 and 46 I'll leave to the experts. Probably rebarreled with a 42 barrel in 46?

[Mikehaspey]

So it was initially a British rifle and at some point it was transferred to the South African military, that’s for sure.
I just wonder when it was sent over there, inter-war or post WW2, I guess we’ll never know

[RobD]

Daan will know better, but I could hazard a guess that XSAW is a sold-out-of-service mark and stands for: Ex Suid Afrikaanse Weermag [Ex South African Army].

[Daan Kemp]

Correct Rob.

Weermag=defence force, of which the army is part. In English SAW=SADF

[Terrylee]

In South Africa, as in the UK, DP stood for Drill Purpose. Typically found on ex-cadet rifles. NOT Durban Police. I suspect the "Durban Police" story was designed to hide a rifle's true status!

[Daan Kemp]

And the drill rifles' actions were mostly welded, and a hole in the chamber.

[Terrylee]

And the drill rifles' actions were mostly welded, and a hole in the chamber.

Hi, Daan, Not in my time! And those which escaped can still mostly be fired, though some of the .303 Martinis were modified to only accept blanks. Terry

[Peter Laidler]

TerryLee, my post, thread 8 overleaf, to which you refer, post 16, was meant to be a joke!

[Terrylee]

Thanks, Peter, I'm most relieved!