The hooked quillion was eliminated by India in 1914. As originally manufactured, the Pattern 1907 was a fairly close copy of the Japanese Type 30 bayonet, with a 17-inch blade and hooked quillion (lower crosspiece). The Pattern 1907 was manufactured in Britain, Australia, and India. The Pattern 1907 was developed after Britain conducted troop trials with Arisaka rifles and bayonets purchased from Japan. The Pattern 1907 bayonet was adopted to address the need for a longer bayonet to go with the No. This Pattern 1903 bayonet was made in October 1903 by the Wilkinson Sword Co., London. Most armies held to this view up to the beginning of World War II. This was the minimum length deemed necessary for a soldier of average height to take a cavalryman off of his horse. The prevailing opinion of the day was that one wanted the overall length of the rifle and fixed bayonet to be at least five feet. The 12-inch Pattern 1888 blade was too short for use with the No. The maker's name appears on the opposite ricasso, along with the bend test mark (an X), the broad arrow, and other inspector's marks.Īlmost immediately, a move was afoot to replace the Pattern 1903. Pattern 1903 bayonets are marked on the ricasso with the Royal Cypher of King Edward VII, over the mfr. Conversions usually still have their original markings, so a manufacture date prior to 1903 is diagnostic. 25,322 additional Pattern 1888 bayonets were converted at Rifle Factory Ishapore, India between 19. RSAF Enfield also converted 66,707 Pattern 1888 bayonets to Pattern 1903, between 19. The quantity produced by these three makers is not known, but is believed to have been far less. Private Pattern 1903 contractors were: the Wilkinson Sword Co., Sanderson Bros. It introduced a pommel and grip similar to many Mauser bayonets of the day, but retained the crosspiece and 12-inch, double-edged blade of the Pattern 1888 bayonet.ġ19,755 Pattern 1903 bayonets were made At the Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF), Enfield Lock between 19. The Pattern 1903 bayonet was already in production by the time the No. These last rifles were chambered for the 7.62 x 51 mm NATO cartridge and were designated 2A and 2A1. III was manufactured in Britain, Australia, and India, with the final examples being made in India during the 1980s. It again saw widespread service during World War II by forces of the Commonwealth nations. III became one of the outstanding rifles of World War I. III was adopted for use by the British Army. No fewer than 14 different rifles were produced from 1888-1907, when the Lee-Enfield No. III or Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield (SMLE) represented the culmination of 19 years of rifle and cartridge development that began with the Lee Metford Mk. Bayonets are not interchangeable between these rifles, so I will discuss each rifle and it's bayonets in turn.
collectors who may have recently purchased a Lee-Enfield No. In this article, I will address the dozen or so bayonet types most available to U.S. The Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield rifles enjoyed a very long service life, upwards of 70 years.
Adobe PDF Downloadable Version of Article