January 19, 2005    

Enfield-Stuff
            A web site about Lee-Enfield rifles and the men who carried them.
     
 
 
 
Australian Enfield Oiler Makers  
       
Government Factories

S.A.F. - Lithgow

 
Small Arms Factory - Lithgow, New South Wales. In 1907 the decision was made to establish the first Australian small arms production facility.  A 123 acre site was purchased about 140km west of Sydney and bids were solicited from both British and US manufacturers. Pratt & Whitney Co., of Hartford, Connecticut, USA was the controversial low bidder.  (As the winning bid was barely £800 lower than a British competitor, there was some speculation that Pratt & Whitney had 'inside information' and had adjusted their bid accordingly.)  The Pratt & Whitney bid promised modern mass production techniques such as a production line setup and closer machined tolerances, resulting in total interchangeability of components.   It was claimed that it took 72 man hours to build a rifle at RSAF Enfield and 48 man hours at BSA's Small Heath plant. Pratt & Whitney promised 28 man hours per rifle with an annual output of 15,000 units.

Prior to shipment the machinery was set up and tested at Colt's Manufacturing plant in Hartford, Connecticut; a few Australian pre-production rifles and bayonets were actually manufactured at the Colt plant in the US; these very few rifles and bayonets were marked with a special stamp.

The plant opened in 1912; the first rifles were delivered almost a year later, in May 1913. SAF-Lithgow remained Australia's only rifle, bayonet and parts manufacturer until 1942, when additional 'feeder factories' were established to augment WW2 production. The last Enfield left the Lithgow plant in 1986.

The earliest marks associated with SAF Lithgow include the distinctive seven-pointed star (which mirror the stars found on the 1905 Australian flag). Australian oilers are stamped on both the cap and the bottle end.

Around 1926 the rather mundane MA begins to replace the Lithgow star. Early 1920's oilers (Type One) are stamped with MA on one end and the Lithgow star on the other . 

Later SAF Lithgow oilers (Type Two) are stamped MA on both ends .
The distinctive Lithgow A-star has been seen on at least one Mk V (plastic) oiler.  (Kindly note that the seven-pointed star is upside down.) Many thanks to David Clarke, Hornchurch, Essex, UK for providing this pic from his collection.
 
Government Factories

Bathurst Rifle Factory No. 2

 
Opened in late 1941 as a 'feeder factory' to SAF Lithgow for some rifle components. Bathurst parts are marked BA. No oilers ever reported with this mark.
  
Government Factories

Orange Rifle Factory No. 3

 
The second largest government factory in Australia, with parts and rifle barrel production commencing in early 1942 and P1907 bayonet production from July 1942 on.   Orange parts are marked OA.

Like all Australian oilers Orange oilers are stamped on both ends.
   

Australian Private Contractors

There are no known private contractors of Enfield oilers.

 
   
 
Unknown Soldiers
All of the oilers on this page have some identifying mark that leads us to believe they are Australian production. 
   
 
 


The mark appears to be one of several two variations of the Australian seven-pointed star. It has only been seen on Mk V (plastic) oilers.  The star mimics the Lithgow mark, and the D is also recognized as an Australian property mark.  We do not have any evidence that the plastic or Bakelite oilers were actually manufactured at Lithgow SAF.
Same as above. Like their brass counterparts, these oilers are stamped on both ends, although we have encountered a few that are marked on the cap only.