arantxa Posted 24 March , 2020 Share Posted 24 March , 2020 I got this recently I thiink it’s a souvenir possibly or a death marker the name looks fine in the field the date better. Had any one seen anything like this the butt seems to be a bit shorter than a standard butt the strap loop position measures ok against a Ww1 rifle but wonder if not cut off. Maybe damaged or the brass being used for something else. The butt cover is made of the same material as the cross the cross is quite crude any help would be great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthStaffsPOW Posted 24 March , 2020 Share Posted 24 March , 2020 Hi. It would appear to be a cut down stock off an SMLE, the brass butt plate having been replaced with another metal (scrapped?). It would possibly appear to be a grave marker of some sort. A word of caution though. I had an SMLE stock (again the butt plate had been replace with another metal) and it had "Hill 60" "KRRC" "1914" stamped onto it with brass letters. I was informed that similar items were made up for sale to tourists by a chap near Ypres in the 1980s. There is a chance that this may have some from a similar place of origin as the overall style is quite similar. Happy to be corrected on this but that at the moment would be my opinion. All the best, and stay safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 24 March , 2020 Share Posted 24 March , 2020 16 minutes ago, NorthStaffsPOW said: Hi. It would appear to be a cut down stock off an SMLE, the brass butt plate having been replaced with another metal (scrapped?). ... Beat me to it. Not sure the sling swivel is original. Never seen anything like it before and know very little, but Ernst Klein is shown as a Gefreiter - roughly equivalent to PFC or maybe Lance corp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arantxa Posted 24 March , 2020 Author Share Posted 24 March , 2020 Thank you. That is very interesting you know sometimes when your not sure about an item I got it from an auction not a military auction just a general sale room old fashioned one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark holden Posted 24 March , 2020 Share Posted 24 March , 2020 Without breaching forum rules cut down grave marker SMLE butts have appeared (and continue to do so) on a well known online auction site. They purport to commemorate both German and British soldiers KiA. The seller has a chequered reputation regarding the authenticity of their items. I would subscribe to NorthStaffsPOW's opinion that it is probably a post WW1 tourist trade item. regards Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arantxa Posted 24 March , 2020 Author Share Posted 24 March , 2020 Thank you that’s interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arantxa Posted 24 March , 2020 Author Share Posted 24 March , 2020 I thought at the time it’s not a grave marker but if anything a souvenir if it was Ww1 a bring back it given to a relative a found rifle I presumed as it was a general name etc that probably a faker would have made it an officer and put a regt Sd it would be worth more then the date looks to have been done at a later date. Is it a special date ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthStaffsPOW Posted 24 March , 2020 Share Posted 24 March , 2020 3rd May 1917 was the second attack on Bullecourt, part of the Battle of Arras? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now