Hallo! It's another war, but hope you can help me. I have found this picture on FB. Original text says: "A raiding party of the 1/8th (Irish) King's Liverpool Regiment. (55th Division). Photograph taken on the morning after the raid on night of 17/18th. April 1916 in Wailly, France. Rifle appears too long for SMLE and haven't sight blades of P14. Are these maybe Lee Metford? Thank you to all.
I think you are right, except maybe the third guy from the right in the bottom row might have an SMLE III. It is like they are making an effort to hold their rifles in a way to make it impossible for us to see what they are Great picture
It's the Magazine Lee Enfield. The Lee Metford was developed into this rifle - altered for the new cordite round and with some other allowances for mass production. As the requirement for a short version was identified, handier and replacing the inadequate carbine, the Short Magazine Lee Enfield - 'SMLE' - this rifle became refered to as the Long MLE. It was in service alongside the SMLE and got parallel upgrades to suit - e.g. the charger loading guide. By the First World War most were in the hands of the Territorials - easily identified as the Infantry with a / in the number. They became less evident as the war went on. Interestingly it has a relatively short bayonet. As the requirement was to reach into the chest cavity of a man on a horse, when the rifle was shortened the bayonet was lengthened - the total length of the LMLE and SMLE with bayonet is the same. I trust this helps.
