Rifle

MkIII Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE)

The S.M.L.E was introduced in 1903 as an improvement over the Long Lee Enfield, which in turn had replaced the Lee Metford (Enfield and Metford describe the rifling used in the barrel, while Lee describes the action). Problems had been encountered with the Long Lee Enfield during the Boer war. Simply put, the Enfield was outclassed by the Mauser rifles employed by the Boers. The Mauser was more accurate, and could be reloaded using a "charger" (A series of bullets stacked together allowing the entire group to be pushed into the rifles magazine in one go). The solution to the shortcomings of the Lee Enfield was the development of the SMLE ('Short' describes the length of the rifle, not the magazine). Shorter than the Long Lee Enfield, the SMLE was revolutionary as it could be used by both infantry and cavalry avoiding the need for a 'carbine' version for mounted troops.The design featured a removable 10 round magazine (the magazine was designed to be removed merely to facilitate cleaning, and was never meant as a means of reloading) which had a significantly higher capacity (ten rounds) than other infantry rifles of the time.The army went to war in 1914 with the MkIII SMLE. However this was difficult to produce and had features, it was felt, the new volunteer soldiers would not be well trained enough to take advantage of. Consequently production began in 1915 of a simplified SMLE MkIII*.Several other versions of the rifle were produced after the Great War, serving as the personal weapon for British and Commonwealth infantry for over 60 years. Originals can still be found reasonably cheaply, although those in good condition or pre-1915 dated do go quickly. It is recommended that members have a live firer (which requires a firearms certificate) and a deactivated rife (which is much simpler for non-firing and non-UK based events).

1907 Pattern Bayonet

The army at the beginning of the 20th century still believed heavy calvalry would dominate a modern battlefield. Consequently the infantryman would need a combination of rifle and bayonet long enough to reach a man mounted on a horse before he could reach down and use his sabre. With the introduction of the SMLE a new, longer bayonet was needed to make up for the loss in the length of the rifle. The design was the 1907 pattern bayonet. The majority of these, during the war years, were made by Wilkinson, but some were made by other companies and are now quite valuable (Enfield for example). Post war bayonets were most commonly made by Sanderson. The blade was 17 inches long and mounted on wooden grips. While this would theoretically allow a soldier to use it like a sword, this was not advisable except as a last resort. Most bayonets were dated, making finding a pre-1918 one quite easy. If no date can be found, a Wilkinson maker mark is a good bet. The scabbard was made of brown leather (those in service were all dyed black after the war unfortunately), usually with a thick seam along the back. On the metal chape at the top was a tear drop shape lug for holding the scabbard in its frog. In late 1917 this was changed to a round lug. The round ones are most commonly seen since when the bayonets were refurbished after the war their scabbards were often replaced. However if you shop around it is still not too difficult to find the correct type.