MAKERS MARKS - UNKNOWN SOLDIERS
Photo notes: “This iconic British poster from World War II includes a New Zealand soldier marching alongside servicemen from the Commonwealth Armed Forces. From left to right are soldiers from India, East Africa, South Africa, and New Zealand (in a lemon-squeezer hat), a Canadian airman, an Australian soldier, and a British Royal Navy sailor.”
Artist unknown; J. Weiner Ltd; printer; late 1940 - early 1941; His Majesty’s Stationary Office, London. Image courtesy of Hennepin County Library (Minnesota, USA) Digital Collections. [1] Photo description from the Museum of New Zealand / Te Papa Tongarewa. [2]
WHERE ARE ALL THE WORLD WAR II BRITISH-MADE LEE-ENFIELD OILERS?
Where are all the British made World War II (1939-1945) oilers? Thanks to the Ministry of Munitions (1915-1920) we have detailed records of all aspects of munitions production during the Great War (1914-1919), including oilers. Not so with the Second World War. Due to heavy aerial bombardment of industry and government, many records were destroyed. Yet despite widespread destruction of industrial areas, British industry still managed to produce more than two million Lee-Enfield rifles. [03] Where are all the oilers for these rifles? Even today collectors can easily find a broad swath of World War I Mk IV brass oilers or post-war 1950’s Mk V plastic oilers – but where are the British made World War II oilers?
In addition to two million British made rifles, in the United States the Stevens/Savage Company [04] produced more than 1.2 Million No.4 rifles and bayonets, the majority of which were shipped to England – but without the oilers and pull-throughs that went with the rifles. So who did make those Lee-Enfield oilers? And where are those oilers now?
None of the oilers on this page have the fit and finish of Great War oilers. They are comparatively rough – but perfectly functional for their intended purpose. Are these WWII British production? And if so, shouldn’t collectors be finding many more of them?
Where are all the British made World War II Lee-Enfield oilers?
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The makers/manufacturers of these oilers remain unknown. All of the Mk IV (brass) oilers are of rough construction, with none of the fine finish or smooth bodies seen on WWI (1914-1919) era oilers. While all have some identifying manufacturer’s mark, most are not Broad Arrow marked.
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. Broad Arrow marked. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. Broad Arrow marked. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. This example is marked with the number 834. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. The "BC" mark could be a poorly stamped "BO". Hard to tell. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk V oiler. No other marks.
The middle character is not a Canadian C-Broad Arrow. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk V oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier KNCW Type Two. Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk IV brass oiler. No other marks. |
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Unknown Soldier Mk V Non-brass oiler. DATED 1941. Unusual. No other marks. |
Page Notes & Sources
[01] Hennepin County Library (Minnesota, USA) Digital Collections. https://digitalcollections.hclib.org/digital/collection/p17208coll3/id/944/ Image retrieved 2019-08-10
[02] Photo description from the Museum of New Zealand / Te Papa Tongarewa; https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/895474 Retrieved 2019-08-10
[03] Stratton, Charles R., British Enfield Rifles, Volume 2, Lee-Enfield No.4 and No.5 Rifles, page 170.
[04] Small Arms Review published a very good article by Frank Iannamico on the Savage/Stevens Rifle No.4; they have graciously made that article available on-line here: Small Arms Review: The WWII Savage Enfield
Suggested Reading
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Unknown Soldiers: The Story of the Missing of the First World War (2005) Hanson, Neil
The First World War was a conflict of unprecedented ferocity. After the last shot was fired and the troops marched home, approximately three million soldiers remained unaccounted for. An unassuming English chaplain first proposed a symbolic burial in memory of all the missing dead; subsequently the idea was picked up by almost every combatant country.
Acclaimed author Neil Hanson focuses on the lives of three soldiers — an Englishman, a German, and an American — using their diaries and letters to offer an unflinching yet compassionate account of the front lines. He describes how each man endured nearly unbearable conditions, skillfully showing how the Western world arrived at the now time-honored way of mourning and paying tribute to all those who die in war. |
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The Great Silence 1918-1920 Living in the Shadow of the Great War (2009) Nicholson, Juliet
At the war's end, many people assumed that everything would soon return to the way things had been before the War. Society was slow to acknowledge the loss and grief inflicted on so many families, and not prepared for the injuries, physical and mental, on so many soldiers. This book, through the eyes of letters, diaries and photographs, looks at how the British Empire slowly came to acknowledge the depth of those losses. |