Found a name on a enfield no1 mkIII

[fredqc]

Hi,

i have bought a very nice all matching (nosecap, forehand, rear sight, bolt, receiver and barrel) 1918 dated lee enfield no1 mkIII* canadian marked from a fellow CGN member and found a name very lightly ''carved'' on buttstock : Charles Cassidy . I have been able to find 3 wwi canadians soldiers named charles cassidy on the site library and archive canada. Is there another way to get more information? Sorry for the crappy pictures, the name is very lightly carved and you got to get a light or a flash to actually see it. I was even lucky to find it. Any idea?









Thanks, Fred

 

[buffdog]

;
It is quite likely that "Charles Cassidy" was not a soldier that owned the rifle but rather a later civilian owner who bought it as surplus.

While it was acceptable to write your name on certain issued property as prescribed by regulations, writing your name on a firearm was not one of these, and was going to get you an interview with a very nasty person known as a Sergeant-Major. It would probably earn you a pay deduction and at least some sort of punishment.

Firearms were regularly inspected during a person's Service, and woe betide anyone with a dirty bore, rust, or other things, including carving or writing your name on the butt stock. The rifle was NOT your personal property, but rather belonged to the King, and any NCO worth his salt would have apoplexy upon finding that some dastardly individual had defaced the King's property.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

;
It is quite likely that "Charles Cassidy" was not a soldier that owned the rifle but rather a later civilian owner who bought it as surplus.

While it was acceptable to write your name on certain issued property as prescribed by regulations, writing your name on a firearm was not one of these, and was going to get you an interview with a very nasty person known as a Sergeant-Major. It would probably earn you a pay deduction and at least some sort of punishment.

Firearms were regularly inspected during a person's Service, and woe betide anyone with a dirty bore, rust, or other things, including carving or writing your name on the butt stock. The rifle was NOT your personal property, but rather belonged to the King, and any NCO worth his salt would have apoplexy upon finding that some dastardly individual had defaced the King's property.

I'll go with that. I've got a sporterized MK lll with the name Johnny Simon deeply scratched into the butt stock. Gun was apparently confiscated by the RCMP. By the name I'm thinking it was some sort of Native thing.

Grizz

 

[trilobite]

There are six Charles Cassidys in the LAC attestation paper database:

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/...tn8e9i7&q1=cassidy&q2=charles&q3=&interval=20

219347 Charles Augustus Cassidy seems not to have finished his enlistment process, so probably not him: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/...rval=20&&PHPSESSID=8tnord6pt8rfgelo26ttn8e9i7

All appear to have still been alive in 1918 except for 745040 Charles Cassidy, who died in 1916: http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/425376/CASSIDY, CHARLES

So we are left with:

CASSIDY, CHARLES 23/08/1884 258469
CASSIDY, CHARLES 12/02/1888 2014277
CASSIDY, CHARLES HENRY 23/02/1896 1287740
CASSIDY, CHARLES MILTON 25/07/1895 2115142

This isn't very solid, but 2014277 is the only one with a 1918 enlistment, so maybe it's marginally more likely he's the one issued a 1918-manufactured SMLE? That's pretty speculative, though. Best I can do.

 

[sunray]

"...get more information..." Assuming Charles was the troopie(like buffdog says, most likely not), you won't find anything about him without more info. His service number being the most important. The records of who got what rifle were not kept by any unit or government organization. Any W.W. I records would have been destroyed long ago anyway.
"...NOT your personal property..." Nothing issued was considered 'yours'. 30 plus years ago you could keep the socks and boots you were issued if you had been 'in' for a certain length of time. Two years, I think it was. Everything else was to be returned. We usually let a guy keep his beret and cap badge too, if he was being kicked out.

 

[Winnipeg Toymaker]

I bought a 1918 Enfield way back in early 70s from SIR in Winnipeg. I took it apart to clean and found a name written in the barrel channel . even the mans town . i traced the name and took the rifle to the family for a heirloom. he was killed and buried overseas. Sure made me feel great that they had something he posessed even though we do not know how long.