The Broad Arrow is the oldest and most common mark of British government ownership.  Arrows may be alone, above or between letters.

Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa have all used some variation of the Broad Arrow.

The Broad Arrow can be as simple as three lines together.

Put two Broad Arrows  nose-to-nose and you have a Sold-Out-of-Service symbol.

Sometimes the Sold-Out-of-Service mark has a the letter “S”.

War Department mark, adopted around 1856, may or may not have an arrow above or between the letters.

New South Wales  First colony on the new continent, the broad arrow was not as widely used as part of the government mark. Other letters and marks may appear above or below the NSW mark.

Victoria  Second largest colony in Australia, the broad arrow does not appear as widely used as elsewhere.  Other letters and marks may appear above or below the VIC mark.

Queensland separated from New South Wales in 1859 and quickly established it’s own Navy, Police and Defense Force. The Queensland Government mark has several variations.

Queensland Police 

Tasmania is the furthest south and was the second Australian colony to be granted self-government. We have not seen any examples of the Broad Arrow used with the TAS mark.

South Australia  Already a self-governing colony in 1834, South Australia was one of the first colonies to import British arms for it’s Defense Forces. The SA mark, with and without a Broad Arrow, can be very similar to marks of South Africa and India.

Citizen Military Forces   After federation, the independent colonial military and naval forces came under the control of the new Commonwealth government. Military Districts were established, mostly along earlier colonial (now state) boundaries. This table outlines the 1911 structure; the Military Districts were reorganized several times (1939, 1942, 1950, 1970’s) and were finally disbanded 1997. [2]

1st Military District, Queensland and the Northern Territory.  The territories of Papua and New Guinea were allocated to the 1MD afte the Great War (1914-1919). 

2nd Military District, New South Wales

3rd Military District, Victoria

4th Military District, South Australia

5th Military District, West Australia

6th Military District, Tasmania

Defense Department. This mark is still in use.

Probably the most commonly encountered mark of Australian ownership, this mark was in widespread use from about 1910.

Royal Australian Navy. Following Federation in 1901, the naval forces of the various colonies were integrated into a national force, the Commonwealth Naval Forces. The title “Royal” was granted in 1911.

Royal Australian Air Force. The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was established in 1912 as part of the Australian Army. It was disbanded in December 1919, it’s assets assigned to the newly formed Australian Air Corps (AAC) in January 1920, jointly overseen by the Army and Navy. The AAC was disbanded in March 1921 and immeadiately succeded by the new Australian Air Force, a separate organization. The “Royal” prefix was added August 1921.

Australian Commonwealth. This mark is seen 1901 – 1910 and gradually disappeared in favor of the D-Arrow mark. Often found within a shield, or below a shield with a kangaroo within. Usually found on the right buttstock of early Lithgow rifles. Often very faint and easily overlooked.

The ornate “C” with Broad Arrow was used by all provinces as a government mark.

Militia & Defense. Commonly found on pre-WWI (1914) arms.

The ornate “C” with Broad Arrow stayed in use throughout Canada.

The much simplified C-tripod first appears on WWI (1914-1919) ammuntion headstamps. It reproduces well in small sizes and was later used extensively at the Long Branch rifle production factory 1940-1945.

This version of the C-Sold-Out-of Service mark is rarely seen.

Two nose-to-nose Broad Arrows is a common Sold-Out-of-Service symbol.

Canadian Officers Training Corps 1912 – c. 1968.

North West (or North-West) Mounted Police.  The North-West Territories (NWT: French les Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is not a province, but a large territory (currently 1.2M kilometers, much reduced from it’s pre-1900 size) north of the 60th parallel in Canada. This is one of the marks specifically associated with the force sent to police that huge territory. The name of the Force changed to Royal North West Mounted Police in 1904. The RNWMP amalgamated with the Dominion Police in early 1920 as the new Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  Sometimes seen as M.P.   Found on some No.4 rifles.

Many of the Indian Government marks are variations of the letter I and a Broad Arrow.

Indian Government

Until the British came along 2,000 years later, Ashoka the Great (273 BC – 232 BC) was the last time the Indian subcontinent had been united under a single ruler. His symbol, four lions standing back to back, standing atop a lotus beneath the Wheel of Law, was adopted as the emblem of the Government of India in 1950. Only three lions are visible; the fourth is hidden from view – and watching for enemies.

Indian Government

Many of modern India’s marks are not much different from their pre-independence forebears. The Broad Arrow continues to be seen through the 1970’s.

The SA is presumed to mean Small Arms.

The U-Broad Arrow continues in use through WWII, although the font of the U may be much simplified.

Sometime after WWII a diamond makes it’s appearance within the South African U.   We surmise that this mark was used after 31st May, 1961, when the Union of South Africa left the British Commonwealth and became the Republic of South Africa.  This mark has been seen on both rifles and oilers.

Sometime after WWII an M makes it’s appearance within the South African U.   We surmise that this mark made it’s appearance after 31st May, 1961, when the Union of South Africa left the British Commonwealth and became the Republic of South Africa.  This mark has been seen on both rifles and oilers.

Austria was briefly occupied (1943-1945) by the Allies during the closing stages of World War II. Austria procured a limited number of Enfields immediately after WWII (1939-1945) for use by provincial police. The buttstock marking disc is often marked O.G. (Osterreichische Gendarmerie)with a unit number. [1] The symbol of the Osterr Gendarmerie is usually found atop the knox form.

gendarmerie (“gen·dar·me·rie”) noun

A gendarmerie is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term gendarme is derived from the medieval French expression gens d’armes, which translates to “men-at-arms” (literally, “armed people”).

The symbol of the Osterr Gendarmerie is the Austrian Coat of Arms (see left) encircled by the words Osterr Gendarmerie. [2]

The artwork in the small ( 9/32 inch; 7.144mm; 0.281 inch) roundel found on the knox form is surprisingly detailed.

Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, is a Caribbean country located on the northeastern coast of Central America. A British Crown Colony since 1862, Belize became independent of the United Kingdom on 21 September 1981. [5]

The Belize Defence Forces (BDF) was founded in 1978. The BDF stamp has been seen on the left receiver of the Lee-Enfield Rifle No.4. [06]

In 1888, the year the first Lee-Enfield rifles were introduced into British service, it was obvious that China’s two-hundred forty-four-year-old Qing Dynasty was in serious trouble. The First Opium War (1839-1842) lost Hong Kong to the British Empire; the Second Opium War (1856-1860) cost additional ports and territories and allowed British commercial interests to flood the country with cheap opium manufactured in India. [15] The First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) lost Korea as a tributary state and the Chinese mainland port of Weihaiwei. [19]. Fifty years of successive military humiliations by foreign barbarians and upstarts was the catalyst for a series of political upheavals that culminated in the 1911 Chinese Revolution, which overthrew China’s last imperial dynasty and established the Republic of China.

The 1911 Revolution birthed forty years of almost constant bloodletting, atrocities and massacres between the new National Government, opportunistic warlords and competing political factions. [20] Just about when everyone thought things couldn’t get worse, Imperial Japan invaded the three northwestern provinces of China in 1931; the conflict was expanded greatly after 1937. [21]

After 1937 the major warring factions in China, the Nationalist Party of China (Kuomintang – KMT) and the Communist Party of China (CPC), focused their efforts on defeating the Japanese. Once the Japanese had surrendered to the Allies (1945), the KMT and CCP quickly resumed the Chinese Civil War, later rebranded as the Chinese Communist Revolution. [22] The war ended (1949) with the Communists in control of mainland China and the Nationalists in control of the island of Taiwan – and has remained virtually unchanged since.

Revive China Society (1894) flag depicted.

Chinese characters (hanzi) found on the buttstock of a US Savage made Rifle No.4. Translation: “For Educational Use” (could also be “For Training Use”). [24]

While technically neutral/not at war with Imperial Japan in 1939, the US government supplied rifles and war materials to the Chinese Nationalists. A small number of Lee-Enfield Rifle No.4, marked “US Property” made their way across India to Nationalist/Kuomintang forces.

Chinese characters (hanzi) written/scribed into the right receiver of a US Savage made Rifle No.4. Translation: “National Army” [24] [25]

Most of the Greek rifles we have seen are marked with a delta (triangle) on the knox form above Greek letters. The delta is associated with Royalist paramilitary forces that fought during the Greek Civil War (1944-1949).

A cross pattée (also known as a croix formée, often called a Maltese Cross), is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre, and often flared in a curve or straight line shape, to be broader at the perimeter. Seen on Greek rifles as early as 1900, sometimes within a circle. [3] Royal Hellenic (Greek) Army.

Ceded to Great Britain by the Qing Dynasty in 1842 after military defeat in the First Opium War (1839-1842). The colony was further expanded after the Second Opium War (1856-1860) when Britain obtained a 99-year lease on Hong Kong and the surrounding New Territories. [15]

Hong Kong was returned to China on 1 July 1997, after 156 years of British rule. [16]

HKP – HONG KONG POLICE. Markings seen on the backstrap of Enfield Revolver No.2 Mk I** in caliber.38.

Indonesia was formed from the colonies of the Dutch East India Company (Dutch: Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie; VOC), which were taken over by the Dutch government in 1800. Dutch rule was overthrown by Imperial Japan (1942-1945). After Japan’s surrender to the Allies, and before the arrival of Dutch and British forces, Indonesia declared itself to be an independent republic. The British withdrew in late 1946, leaving the Dutch to sort things out with their former colony. The next three years saw two Dutch “police actions” as well as a communist rebellion. On 27 December 1949 the Republic of the United States of Indonesia was recognized as an independent country. [17]

This mark (5/16 inch; 7.937mm; 0.312 inches) has been found atop the knox form of both SMLE (Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield) rifles and .303 Rifle No.4. [18]

Iraq was created by the British in 1920 out of the Ottoman Turkish provinces of Basra, Mosul and Baghdad. Throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s Britain supplied the Iraqi Army with weapons both from stores and by means of contracts with the Iraqi government. [12]

There are several versions/abbreviations of the Arabic letter(s) meaning army or military. The diacritical mark (dot) is sometimes ommited. [13]

In Arabic, the shape of a letter depends upon whether it appears in the beginning, the middle, or the end of a word – or stands by itself. This mark is simply another form of the one above. Both have been seen on Lee-Enfield rifles. [13]

To my untrained eye, this looks like the Arabic jeem in the top row, albeit reversed. This particular mark does not appear in any of my reference sources – but it is clearly there on the knox form of a Lee-Enfield rifle.

Iraqi markings are typically found atop the knox form and often on the buttstock marking disc as well. Markings are usually – but not always – enclosed within a triangle.

This mark (left) has been seen on Lee-Enfield oilers, as well as rifles. This symbol was also part of the 1920’s Iraqi Air Force roundel. [13]

Upon gaining independence in 1921, the new government of the Republic of Ireland formed a new national army. Weapons of this force were supplied by Britain, with the standard service rifle being the SMLE. These rifles were marked “FF” (Fianna Fail  Gaelic for “Men of Destiny”). Throughout the 1920s and 1930s the Irish continued to purchase rifles from Britain, all of which were marked with the “FF” cartouche. [4] This practice was discontinued after WWII.

Marks usually found atop the knox form; the sharp-eyed collector may also spot the FF cartouche on the wood furniture.

The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) was a quasi-military police force in Ireland from 1822-1922, when Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. Unique to Ireland was the RIC Carbine, a Lee-Enfield carbine outfitted to accept the P1888 bayonet.

The buttstock marking disc is usually stamped RIC and dated. The RIC was disbanded in 1922.

The history of Israel’s Lee-Enfield rifles starts in the middle of the Great War (1914-1919), with the Sykes-Picot Agreement in 1916 [28], a secret agreement between the United Kingdom and France to partition the Ottoman Empire into spheres of influence. Britain would get Israel, Palestine, Jordan, southern Iraq and some Mediterranean ports; France would get southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The fact that much of this territory had already been promised to the local Arabs for assisting Allied Forces in defeating the Turks was a certainly a major reason to keep the Agreement secret. About the time the public learned of the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the British Government issued the Balfour Declaration, a public statement supporting “a national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine, a move, in part, to gain support among the worldwide Jewish community for the Allied war effort. [29] The two agreements, taken together, convinced many Arabs that the British had betrayed them.

The end of the war (1919) finds British forces throughout the Middle East with impossible promises made to competing interests. After that, it gets more complicated.

The bottom line (left) is Hebrew for Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Characters are read right-to-left. The top line is a common abbreviation for the IDF. These marks seen on Lee-Enfield oilers.

Much like the view marks/inspection marks found on British manufactured Lee-Enfield rifles, Nazi Germany (1933-1945) made extensive use of inspection/acceptance marks called “Waffenamt” on almost everything used by all branches of German forces. [07]

The Waffenamt (WaA) was the German Army Weapons Agency responsible for the testing and acceptance of all weapons, equipment and ammunition before delivery to the Wehrmacht (Defense Force). [08]

Nazi Germany made extensive use of captured weapons (Beutewaffen), including the Lee-Enfield rifle. Captured weapons were often WaA marked. [11]

The basic WaA symbol is of a Nazi eagle holding a swastika above the letters WaA. The Waffenamt code (WaA followed by a number) is the German inspection proof mark and can be found on firearms and equipment. There were thousands of WaA inspectors. There are also many, many variations of WaA inspection stamps. [10]

The Wappenamt stamp can be very small ( 1/8 inch; 3.175mm; 0.125 inch – which is even smaller than some of the inspection marks found on Lee-Enfield rifles) and are easily overlooked, particularly on bayonets.

Waffenamt photos courtesy of Vern Bryant at www.GermanDaggers.com [10]

Originally part of the Straits Settlements (1867), the Singapore Settlement was a British Territory until 1946, when Singapore became the Crown Colony of Singapore. In 1959 Singapore became fully independent, although still within the British Empire. In 1962 the people of Singapore voted to join the Federation of Malaysia; after three years of deep political and cultural unrest, Singapore became fully independent of Malaysia (1965).

Between 1867 and 1967 seven different flags, including Imperial Japan (1942-1945) and Malaysia (1962-1965), have flown over Singapore. The current flag, adopted 1959, is depicted. [14]

SPF – SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE. Seen on the frame of a Webley Mk IV .38 caliber revolver.

Siam (Thailand)’s history with the Kingdom of England dates back to 1612, during the reign of James I (1567-1625). In spite of intense pressure from many colonial powers, Siam has always maintained its independence from outsiders – a point of pride in Thailand. Siam renamed itself Thailand in 1939 [30]

In India, the Hindu god Visnu is often shown armed with a chakra, a spinning disk-like weapon with 108 serrated edges. [31] The Thai version of the chakra makes an official appearance in 1782, when Rama I established his rule. The King’s symbols included the divine weapons of Vishnu, the Chakri and the Trisula (a short bladed weapon). The Chakri dynasty has been the ruling house of the Kingdom of Thailand since 1782. [32]

The chakri, often called a “juk” in Thai (plural “juk-ree”) has been reported on a wide variety of small arms in Thailand. The number of teeth/serrated edges seen on the symbol varies between eight (8) and thirteen (13).

The chakri/juk has been seen on both the receiver and on the buttstock of Lee-Enfield rifles.

The Wild Tiger Corps was a national paramilitary corps founded in Thailand in 1911 by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI). [33] Siam (Thailand) ordered 10,000 SMLE Mk III* rifles with P1907 bayonets from the Birmingham Small Arms Company in 1920. [34] The rifles were marked in Thai script. Both rifles and bayonets are marked with the symbol of a tiger’s head. [33]

Many of the leather scabbards were later replaced with sheet steel with the original locket and chape brazed on. [35]