February 7, 2009    

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

 

Government Factories
 RSAF ENFIELD  
Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock. In 1653 Parliament requested the Ordnance Officer to negotiate with John and Henry Worth of Enfield, on the northern outskirts of London, for the use of certain mills on the River Lea, known as the "Lock," for the purpose of making gunpowder.  In 1804 the Board of Ordnance established a small plant there to produce musket barrels which were subsequently assembled into flintlocks at the Tower of London. The property was purchased in 1812.  The facilities were substantially upgraded in the early 1850's and RSAF Enfield became the principal government small arms manufacturing plant and so continued through two world wars and into the Cold War.  After England and NATO adopted the Belgian made FN-FAL rifle and 7.62mm round as standard in 1954, the end was inevitable. The plant closed in 1988.

The Times New Roman EFD is found on oilers, bayonets and rifles and indicates either manufacture or inspection, if not both, at RSAF Enfield.

A simple Times New Roman E found directly beneath the Tudor Crown is part of the Enfield inspector's mark found on rifles, bayonets and oilers and indicates either manufacture or inspection, if not both, at RSAF Enfield.  The letters or numbers beneath the letter denote the individual inspector.
If you look hard, you can see that this is an E overstruck by an F overstruck by a D. This stylized EFD was officially adopted in 1926, but is seen much earlier on rifles and bayonets.  Has never been observed on an oiler.  
   
 
Government Factories
 RSAF SPARKBROOK  
Royal Small Arms Factory Sparkbrook.   The privately owned National Arms & Ammunition Company was formed in 1872 and had some early success in obtaining government contracts, producing Snider carbines and Martini rifles for Ordnance contacts as well as some Colonial and European orders. The company ran into financial difficulties and was liquidated in 1883. In 1886 the Government purchased the defunct factory on Montgomery Street, in the ward of Sparkbrook, part of the city of Birmingham.  This factory became known R.S.A.F. Sparkbrook. Complete rifle production began around 1889 with the Lee-Metford rifle, quickly followed by the Lee-Enfield rifle and the Mk I SMLE rifle.

In 1906 RSAF Sparkbrook was sold to the Birmingham Small Arms Co.  As the plant was less than a mile from BSA's Small Heath plant, the facility was used for general engineering work, rather than small arms production, although a few SMLE Mk I* rifles were produced there in 1906 (marked BSA SPARKBROOK).  At the outbreak of the Great War it was producing small tools, car bodies and parts for the BSA 13.9HP motor cars.  Car production was halted and rifle conversion undertaken, most probably the CLLE Mk I* and SMLE conversions for the .303 Mk VII round.  Some Lewis machine gun parts were also made there during the Great War.

The Times New Roman SK is found on oilers, bayonets and rifles and indicates either manufacture or inspection, if not both, at RSAF Sparkbrook.
A simple Times New Roman B found directly beneath the Tudor Crown is part of the Sparkbrook inspector's mark found on rifles, bayonets and oilers and indicates either manufacture or inspection, if not both, at Sparkbrook. The Times New Roman B inspection mark disappears shortly after 1906.  All BSA production is marked with an italicized B. 
Interestingly, a number of Great War vendor produced oilers are marked with the Sparkbrook B, which would seem to indicate that either (A) some BSA oiler inspection work was done at Sparkbrook 1914-1918, or (B) a number of vendors were producing Mk IV oilers before World War I for BSA.  All the oilers are Mk IV (post March 1906) oilers.
 
 
  British Private Contractors

J.& J. Bent Company, Charlotte Road, Stirchley, Birmingham.
250,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).
Two types of marks noted; the "JJB-in-a-box" (Type One, left) is presumed to be earlier production than the simpler Type Two (right). We assume that the simplified logo was adopted later in the war.
   
  

Birmingham Small Arms Co., Small Heath, Birmingham.
Principal British small arms contractor 1861 - 1960's.
 
Additional locations at Sparkbrook, Redditch and Coventry Road. Produced millions of Lee-Enfield rifles 1888 - 1960's; no figures available for oiler production.

Prime government contractor; most oilers have a BSA inspection catrouche; arms produced for commercial sales, including Colonies, police and foreign governments marked with the three-stacked rifles logo, as are the oilers. 
The Birmingham Small Arms Co. was formed in 1861 and construction of the plant at Small Heath began that same year.  After acquiring the Adderly Park Mills in 1873 the name was changed to Birmingham Small Arms & Metals Co. Ltd.  Rifles were subsequently marked BSA & M.Co.  In 1897 the named was changed back to BSA Co. Ltd.  Just before WWII the firm was renamed BSA Guns. An additional plant was built in Shirley, Birmingham to meet WWII production needs.

The numbers and/or letters below the Tudor crown and above the script B are the inspector's ID; most of the 'teepee' oilers are marked with the letter V and a number; we presume that these also identify individual inspectors.  Occasionally one encounters an oiler marked with only a V or simply a V and Broad Arrow; we presume that these are also BSA production. (We surmise that, from a production standpoint, it would be easy to have a cache of unmarked oilers readily available, to be sent off in one direction for Crown inspection stamps for military rifles, or in another direction for the BSA commercial marks and stamps.)

   

Thomas Bland & Sons, Long Acre, London.
26,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).

The samples we have seen have been very lightly struck and are hard to see. It is easy to miss this oiler mark.

   
  

W.H. Briscoe & Co., Ltd, 51 Park Street, Birmingham.
150,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).
   
 

H.S. Cooke & Co., Ltd, 116 Northwood Street, Birmingham.
Great War (1914-1918) production unknown.

   
 

Davis & Mawson, Plume Street, Ashton, Birmingham.
Great War (1914-1918) production unknown.

A variation of the D&M mark, with a B below, has been reported.  Many thanks to Mark Wagstaff, Woburn Sands, Bucks, UK for sharing pics from his collection.
 
 

Gabriel & Co., 4 & 5 AB Road, Birmingham.
205,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).
Two types of marks noted; the "GABRIEL BIRMM " (Type One, left) is much more common than the simpler Type Two (right).  Many thanks to Mark Wagstaff, Woburn Sands, Bucks, UK for providing a pic of the rare Type Two oiler.
   
 

Harcourts Ltd., 222 Mosley Street, Birmingham.
100,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).
The HARCOURT mark is tiny and if worn, easily overlooked. Occasionally a recessed cap (right) is encountered; we presume that this was a production economy. A close examination of the spoon on these oilers reveals that about 50% have HARCOURTS PATENT stamped in tiny letters along the shaft of the spoon.  Many thanks to Mark Wagstaff, Woburn Sands, Bucks, UK for his help researching this item.
 
 
 

S. Hall & Sons, Ltd., Vanguard Works, Hay Mills, Birmingham.
100,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).

S. Heath & Sons, Ltd., Leopold Street, Birmingham.
400,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).
You have several choices.  Both S. Hall & Sons and S. Heath & Sons produced oilers during the Great War. Both have the characters S, H, &, S and Ltd as part of their name.  We have three (3) SH&S type marks to chose from.  Judging soley by the numbers produced and the samples we've encountered, we will hazard a guess that the simple SH&S (without the Ltd.) goes with Hall & Sons, and the variations with some form of Ltd. go with Heath & Sons. 

Kindly note a number of samples of both types sport the B inspection mark of Sparkbrook as well as the italic B of BSA.  We also note that the triangle logo shows up in two different sizes.  Many thanks to Mark Wagstaff, Woburn Sands, Bucks, UK for his help researching this item.
   
  

Henry Rifled Barrel Co., Hoxton, London 1870-1878.
Known as HB Co. Ltd. 1878 - 1900
Acquired by Blenheim Engineering 1900; out of business 1902.

H inspection marks appear on some early service arms; the mark has been observed on Mk II and Mk III oilers.

   
   

Henry Jenkins & Sons, Ltd., Unity Works, Victoria St., Birmingham.
1,100,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).
   
 

Kings Norton Metal Co. , Kings Norton, Birmingham.
100,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).
This ammunition company was formed in 1890 at Kings Noton; it owned its own rolling mills and had a loading plant at Abbey Wood in Kent  The KN headstamp appears on a wide variety of WWI military contract .303 caliber ammunition. During the War the Company also ran the Government-owned Cartridge Factory No.3 at Blackpole, Worcesthire. The company was taken over in 1920 by Explosives Trades Ltd. which became Nobel Industries, which in turn became Imperial Chemicals Industries, Ltd. in 1926. 
 

Lightwood & Sons, Ltd., Price Street, St. Mary's, Birmingham.
84,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).
   
 

London Small Arms Co., Victoria Mills, Old Ford Road, London.

Rifle production 1888 - 1926 estimated to be 731,300.

The London Small Arms Company was formed in 1866 and had their factory at the Victoria Mills, Old Ford Road, in London until 1921 when they moved to the Albion Works, Ossary Road. The company went out of business in 1925.

Government inspectors at LSA used the letter X to mark rifle parts that had passed inspection; we have observed LSA markings on Mk II, Mk III and Mk IV oilers.
 

May & Padmore, address unknown.
100,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).
  

Nicole, Nielson & Co., Ltd., address unknown.
50,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).

Picture courtesy of Mark Wagstaff, Woburn Sands, Bucks, UK collection.

   

Parker-Hale, Birmingham.
Great War (1914-1918) production unknown. Most of the samples abserved appear to be post-1920 manufacture.

The company was founded in the 1880's but did not adopt the name Parker-Hale until 1936. It was subsequently renamed P-H Arms in 1940. This is one of the few manufacturers whose logo is found on both Mk IV (brass) and Mk V (plastic) oilers.
   
  

Edwin Showell & Sons, Stirchley Brass Foundry, Birmingham.
300,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).
Two variations of the ESS mark noted, one with the letters widely spaced (left), the other more closely grouped (right); both with BSA inspection marks.  Mark Wagstaff, Woburn Sands, Bucks, UK has found at least one (top, right) with a Sparkbrook inspection mark.
   
  

Sperryn & Co. Ltd., Moorsom Street Works, Birmingham.
100,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).
One maker, and four variations of the mark? We've noted a tiny X, H and a star variously incorporated into the mark; the placement of which seems to vary from oiler to oiler.
 

Standard Small Arms Co., Lench Street, Birmingham.
Great War (1914-1918) oiler production unknown.
The Standard Small Arms Company (SSA) was an enterprise organized by several Birmingham businessmen in 1915 wherein they would assemble rifles from parts both produced and acquired. From the outset the "Peddled Scheme" ran into both money and production problems and by 1918 was taken over by the Ministry of Munitions and renamed the National Rifle Factory (NRF). Total SSA & NRF rifle production estimated to be around 250,000.  No ideas about the number of oilers produced; only 2-3 samples ever reported.
   
 

Vickers Sons & Maxim, facilities in Bath, London & Crayford.
208,000 produced during the Great War (1914-1918).

Major supplier of machine guns and heavy ordnance during the Great War. 

 
Western Electric Co. Ltd., North Woolwich, London.
Great War (1914-1918) production unknown. 

We have seen two types of WEC oilers. Type One (right) is marked with the number 16 (presumably 1916; the manufacturer's code plus year is common on ammunition headstamps) and is rarely encountered. Virtually all of the Type Two (left) are outfitted with a steel cap, presumably a late-war cost-saving measure.  The majority of steel caps have deteriorated to rusted blobs. Clean, undamaged steel caps are a scarce find.