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The No4 MkII * family of bayonets... |
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Goosic 
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Joined: September 12 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Status: Offline Points: 8842 |
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 Topic: The No4 MkII * family of bayonets...Posted: October 31 2023 at 12:33pm |
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In my quest to find what I have come to assume to be a correct match up to my 1944 Maltby No4Mk1, I have managed to procure the 4 main No4 MkII* bayonets made between 1942 and 1945 and 1 subcontractor made No4 MkII* so basically, a complete set.
Prince-Smith&Stells/P.S&S/P.S.&K N56 Keighly, Yorshire, 1942-1945. 1.057,515 total production numbers. Howard and Burrough/H&B/N30 Accrington,Lancashire, 1942-1943. 161,026 total production numbers. Baird Engineering Company/BEC/N96 Belfast Northern Ireland. 1942-1944. 101,103 total production numbers. Lewisham/L.ENG/S376 Ladywell, London, 1943-1945. 84,566 total production numbers. The odd man out No4 MkII* is a subcontracted made item with the metal supplied by Tinsley Rolling Mills Company/TRM.2 and forged by Viners Limited/VNS/VNR, both from Sheffield, England. No production numbers are available.
     It is my opinion however that, based off of location and distance, the Viners Ltd. subcontracted made No4 MkII* would have been the one that would have been shipped out with Frenchie... |
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shiloh
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Joined: January 08 2019 Location: Ontario, Canada Status: Offline Points: 3049 |
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Posted: November 01 2023 at 1:34am |
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I was a store-man in the army, and in particular in charge of weapons for a combat company. Rifles were racked and bayonets were in a big bin. When a rifle was issued, a bayonet was picked out of the bin. The same would have applied when packing for Opt Carpetbagger, items were procured from central stores, not the manufacturer, then randomly picked and packed. Now that`s not to say your rifle and its brothers happened to be packed together with specific bayonets, maybe but highly doubtful. It would be random at best. Here`s what I`d do, put all your bayo`s in a bin then reach in and grab one, that`s the one that ended up with your rifle.
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Goosic
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Joined: September 12 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Status: Offline Points: 8842 |
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Posted: November 01 2023 at 2:46am |
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I do understand that a bayonet would more likely than not, have been pulled from available stores but, it is fun to assume that given the circumstances revolving around the rush to supply the French Resistance and the majority of rifles being manufactured were from the Maltby Factory, a subcontracted feeder plant such as Viners Ltd was less than 30 minutes away and as rough cut as the one example is, I also assume that, it was one of many tossed together with the no frills No4Mk1 rifles. I do plan on throwing them into a bucket and pulling out the first one my hand touches though...
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shiloh
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Joined: January 08 2019 Location: Ontario, Canada Status: Offline Points: 3049 |
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Posted: November 01 2023 at 3:18am |
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Of course viners made parts for everyone, but finished goods went to central stores then pulled as requested and then written off once issued. Saves paper work during an act of war. Pulling a bayonet from a simulated 1940s supply bucket is in fact the best way to get the correct bayonet for any given issued rifles. Though you have a valid point. With no real records who`s to say the special opps didn`t just get approval to bypass the supply chain and secure goods direct. That would seem the sensible thing. |
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A square 10
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Donating Member Joined: December 12 2006 Location: MN , USA Status: Offline Points: 16998 |
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Posted: November 08 2023 at 9:12pm |
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i seldom looked at my bayonets with a microscope , often tith the magnifying glass but i never thought of looking for those kind of markings , thats pretty cool
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Zed
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Donating Member Joined: May 01 2012 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 6460 |
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Posted: November 08 2023 at 10:42pm |
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I have the original bayonet that was dropped with my Resistance Maltby No4mk1 rifle; along with a bandolier of full clips.
I will have to have a look at the markings on the bayonet.
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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!
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Goosic
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Joined: September 12 2017 Location: Phoenix Arizona Status: Offline Points: 8842 |
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Posted: November 09 2023 at 4:46am |
The frustrating part is not having what should have been with the rifle Zed. None of these rifles that Navy Arms have been offering to the public comes with the original magazine either. Just a very poorly designed reproduction. I found a N67 stamped magazine and just made the assumption that since pretty much everything else on the rifle was furnished by Singer, why not the magazine too. I do have a No4 MkII pre N67 stamped bayonet with the GR and crown stamped on the side of it but it is in my storage unit so, there's that. My thinking is that because of the rush to get these items to their intended users, the rifle was paired with whatever was at hand but it would be interesting to know out of those 4 manufacturers, who had the higher percentage of bayonets paired to the resistance rifles...
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Zed wrote: