A BRIEF HISTORY of LATVIA: 1900 - 1930
Baltic homeland of the Lettish people and part the Russian Empire, Latvia was divided into the Imperial provinces of Livonia and Kurland, consisting mostly of large estates owned by Germans in the Tsar's service.  From April 1915, when the German Army launched its first offensive in Kurland, the Eastern Front divided the region in half.  The population of Riga, close to the line on the Russian side, fell by more than half between 1913-1917.  About 750,000 Letts had fled into Russia by 1916 and a three-division Lettish corps was fighting with the Russian Army.  The Russian Provisional Government granted autonomy to the Letts in July 1917, but full independence was declared by the Latvian National Council after the October Revolution in Russia.  The Red Army invaded in late 1918, capturing Riga on 3rd January, 1919 and proclaiming a Soviet Republic.  The Latvian National Council was evacuated by the Royal Navy and returned to power when a multinational militia retook Riga.  Supplied by the western Allies, the Latvian Government both put down an attempted coup and expelled the last Red Army elements from the country by early 1920.  The Soviet government accepted Latvian independence with the conclusion of the Treaty of Riga in August 1920.  REF-1

A BRIEF HISTORY of the Pattern of 1914 RIFLE: 1910 - 1926
Although the SMLE (Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield) rifle was adopted in 1904, as early as 1910 a replacement rifle was under consideration. Over the next two years the engineers at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield experimented with various designs and prototypes, eventually recommending a rifle with a one-piece stock and receiver mounted rear-aperture sight built to chamber a new .276 caliber round.  Approximately 1300 Pattern of 1913 .276-Inch Enfield Magazine Rifles were produced in 1913.

World War I broke out in August 1914, presenting the War Office with the choice of trying to introduce a new rifle and cartridge into the supply chain or abandoning the project in favor of the established SMLE production and its .303 caliber round.  A compromise was reached by rechambering the new rifle to use the well-established .303 cartridge.  In October 1914 the .303 Pattern 1914 Magazine Rifle was approved for use. 

All British facilities were already fully committed to SMLE production, so the War Office approached the American firms of Remington Arms/Union Metallic Cartridge Co. (Ilion, New York) and the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) to produce the new P14 rifle.  Both Remington and Winchester, as well as a Remington subsidiary in Eddystone, Pennsylvania began production in January 1916 with the first rifles (and bayonets and ammunition) delivered in May 1916.  REF-2  (The fact that a neutral country was actively supplying arms to one of the belligerents was a diplomatic fine point that the Allies studiously ignored, despite the protests of the Triple Entente countries.)

By April 1917 almost 1.2 Million P14 rifles had been produced, REF-3  and with the exception of 100,000 rifles shipped directly to India and a small number of P14s converted to sniper rifles, the vast majority of rifles were either issued to Home Guard units or put directly into storage.  After WWI the P14 rifle was largely relegated to limited issue or reserve status and "significant quantities...sent to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa."  REF-4 

Photo: Henry Gaidis collection

LATVIA'S ENFIELDS
A casual perusal of the 1934 Soldier's Manual REF-5 reveals descriptions and introductions to a variety of British arms, including Mills hand grenades and launchers, Vickers heavy machine guns, Bren light machine guns, as well as the P14 rifle.  Line drawings of dress and field uniforms are particularly helpful, allowing positive matches with era photographs and postcards showing Latvian troops in the field, many with clear pictures of P14 rifles.  Click to view photo gallery

There is some evidence that other Enfields, such as the Lee-Enfield Mk I and Lee-Enfield Mk II "karabinan" (which we presume means 'Carbine'), also saw service in Latvia.  Page 332 of the 1934 Soldier's Manual (and Page 318 of the 1936 Edition) briefly mention these specific rifles.  Click to view

Latvian government property and issue marks are unknown to us.  How many rifles were sent, when, and other details are also presently unknown.  Additional research is needed.

WANTED:  Latvian translator to provide assistance with additional research.

WANTED:  Photographs of Latvian troops equipped with SMLE Lee-Enfields and/or Lee-Enfield Carbines.

© 2005 David J. Gadbois
www.Enfield-Stuff.com
All Rights Reserved

1. WW1-01    Pages 281-282, paraphrased.
   
   
2. BER-4    Pages 3-5
   
   
3. Total production 1,233,515.  Harrison, Jesse. C., P-17: The American Enfield, Collector's Field Guide Series, Volume Five, 1998. pg. 51.  Available from The Arms Chest, 6401 South Westminister Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73150.
   
   
4. BER-4    Page 5
   
   
5. Kareivja Rokas Gramata, 2. Izdevums.  1934  (Soldiers' Manual, 2nd Edition, 1934)  Author's collection.