Respectfully request assistance (Lee Enfield)

[wayupnorth]

Good Afternoon.

over the last couple of years i have been amassing some nice collectables from my Grandfather and Father in Law from their time in WWII.
i have just recently had their medals and pictures framed and now have them mounted on my wall of my den.

I was sitting here looking at them the other night and a thought popped into my head.... i would love to get a WWII Lee Enfield to put up there with their medals and pictures. but i must confess that i have no knowledge about Lee Enfield other then to know it was the gun of choice for the commonwealth countries for almost 100 years.

so i thought maybe someone in here could steer me onto the right course.
if i wanted to be historically accurate what would my grandfather and father in law have been carrying in WWII?
both went in on day 1 and both where there till the end.
one was with the Calgary Highlanders and the other drove tank and was from Calgary area, so im guessing he was with the Kings Own?
i have sent in a request to the government for both of their files so i can get the exact specifics.

so what should i be looking for?
a British made Lee Enfield or a Canadian made one?

and where would i find one here in Canada?

i do believe i have the actual serial number of my grandfathers gun, it was written down in either his bible or his pay book, ill dig it out here when i get back home tonight, would that number tell me anything about where the gun was from?

thanks in advance for any help you can give.

 

[AdrianM]

You're in the right place. The serial will tell you what it was probably. The guys who hang out here will help you out.

You can buy enfields here on the EE. I find them locally and find the prices are a little better that way. Gunshows, flea markets, pawn shops, gun stores...lots of ways to find them. Check the local bulletin boards and make some contacts. Any gun clubs around you? That's always a good start. Hang out at the local range too.

Have fun and good on you for researching your past and that of your in-laws.

 

[purple]

The gentleman who served in the Calgary Highlanders was an infantryman and most likely carried a No4 Mk1 or No4 Mk1* Lee Enfield. These rifles could have been either Brit, US, or Cdn made, but it would be nice to find a Canadian Long Branch rifle.

The personal weapon issued to Cdn tank crews most likely would have been one of a Thompson SMG, especially if serving in Italy, a STEN SMG, a Smith & Wesson .380 revolver, or a Canadian-made Inglis Browning pistol.

If you have a s/n of the weapon he was issued that would be a help. For example, Cdn made Long Branch No4s incorporated the letter "L" in to the s/n, while the No4s made by Savage Arms in the US had the letter "C" in the s/n.

 

[antiqueguy]

yes it is hard to say infantryman could have had a lee enfield no 4 mk 1

tank crew most likely a pistol webley revolver,enfield revolver,inglis HP and or a SMG witch wouldhave been a sten for the most part toomys were issued in italy the revolvers would have had the hammer bobbed

 

[points]

If they were in from day one, the rifle would have been a #1 mk3*. The #4 wasa later issue. They might well have been issued a #4 later on and it would probably be a Canadian Long Branch.

 

[smellie]

A man entering the Forces right at the beginning of the War would have been trained on the SMLE rifle, Mark III*.

These were English-built rifles dating from the Great War. Canada had a supply of them, most of which were marked with the C-Broad-Arrow stamp in the immediate post-Great-War period.

Small Arms Limited was a Crown Corporation which constructed, equipped and operated a large factory at Long Branch, Ontario, now a part of Toronto. This plant built a couple million Number 4 Rifles, a million or so STENs and a raft of other goodies which Free Canadians are allowed to pay for but not take home. Very early production was the Number 4 Mark 1 but nearly the total of Number 4 production was the Mark 1* in 5-groove and 2-groove specs. Following the War, they made some (not very many) with 6-groove barrels which were very popular with the 600-yard shooters in the 1960s..... when they could get their hands on one. Their rifles are marked LONG BRANCH with the year of manufacture on the left side of the Body; the actual NUMBER is on th left side of the Butt Socket and always has the letter L as a part of the number, as 21L1234.

I would be looking for 2 rifles: a C-Broad Arrow SMLE AND a Long Branch Number 4 of wartime make, each with appropriate bayonet, scabbard, sling, pullthrough, oil-bottle, patches, chargers nd 15 rounds of Drill ammunition. It would make a most impressive display.