"Factory Defence Only" Enfield

slug

slug

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Location
Sudbury, Ont.
I've just acquired a No 4 Enfield that's marker "For Factory Defence Only". It's dated 1942 and the serial number, 56/A/28 is on the left receiver, butt socket and bolt handle. It has an unusual, short cocking piece. It has two groove rifling and stamped DP on the receiver ring and bolt handle. The magazine is stamped ROF 8142.
Unfortunately, the receiver was drilled and tapped with four scope mount holes. Could this be some prototype or trials rifle?

FD1.png


FD.png


FD3.png


FD4.png
 
Very intriguing... "For factory defence only" engraved with an electropencil leaves a lot to the imagination. Weapons factory? tank factory? Aircraft factory? who knows... but i bet it could tell some stories.
 
my WAG, rifle was upgraded from DP to FACTORY DEFENCE, ie for emergency shooting only, not frontline service.
 
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Some rifles, for various reasons, were relegated to "Emergency" use only. Many of these, especially SMLE rifles, were stamped "EY" on the barrel reinforce.

In most cases, this meant that Ball Ammunition was not to be used, except in an emergency situation or as a last-ditch weapon.

The "Factory Defence Only" could have come across because of several reasons, such as assembled with parts that were not quite up to standard, or not made to specifications. In the hurried production War years where anything that could shoot was needed, there were Lee Enfield rifles produced and assembled out of parts that were not interchangeable with others. This could be one of those rifles.

The short cocking piece is interesting.
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That's not overly rough - it's about average for wartime production.

Likely made with non-interchangeable parts and marked to ensure it wasn't front line issued.

Very interesting piece.
 
A reply from Peter Laidler, at milsurps.com:

Ah, yes.......... This was a rifle held for factory defence at the Fazakerley factory where industrial strife was beyond legendary. So just in case agitators did decide to take over or overrun the factory, the specially trained 'security services' on site were trained and arms were held close at hand. Fazakerley were the only small arms factory to have or need this arrangement although some wag suggested that the same arrangement should have been in place at the Triumph factory as Speke. It being the only way to prevent the industrial scale thieving of parts!

The ROF (Royal Ordnance Factory) and other stamp marks are simply the factory controlled stores register numbers

The short cocking piece is a red herring and has no bearing on the markings...........
 
slug, thanks for posting Peter's reply here. Nice to have his encyclopedic experience to draw on.
slug said:
A reply from Peter Laidler, at milsurps.com:

Ah, yes.......... This was a rifle held for factory defence at the Fazakerley factory where industrial strife was beyond legendary. So just in case agitators did decide to take over or overrun the factory, the specially trained 'security services' on site were trained and arms were held close at hand. Fazakerley were the only small arms factory to have or need this arrangement although some wag suggested that the same arrangement should have been in place at the Triumph factory as Speke. It being the only way to prevent the industrial scale thieving of parts!

The ROF (Royal Ordnance Factory) and other stamp marks are simply the factory controlled stores register numbers

The short cocking piece is a red herring and has no bearing on the markings...........
Click to expand...
 
More from Peter Laidler.

I seem to recall mentioning the armed factory defence facility at Fazakerley several times in the past. It won't be widely reported as the British Police were totally unarmed until the 80's or so. The sole exception was the War Office Police at Fazakerley (and the special Atomic Energy Police - for obvious reasons)
 
i had one one as well DP and factory defence only ...minty condition ..also seen several stens with this marking
 
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