Three firms produced the No. 4 Mk. II: Singer in Scotland, the Savage Stevens Co. in the USA, and Long Branch in Canada. The No. 4 Mk. II was, by far, the most numerous variant, with over 3.3 million units produced.

This example bears the Canadian Government acceptance mark, indicating use by Canadian Forces.

The example pictured at left also carries the Canadian "broad arrow" mark, indicating acceptance into Canadian service.

The Savage-Stevens plant in Chicopee Falls was where New England Westinghouse produced Mosin-Nagant M1891 rifles in 1915–1917 under contract to the Imperial Russian government.

These bayonets equipped the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The 2nd NZEF fought in the North African and European Theatres as part of the British 8th Army.

Based on serial numbers observed, approximately 35,000 No. 4 bayonets went to New Zealand.

A quantity of No. 4 rifles were imported to the USA from Turkey in the mid-2000s. These rifles can often be identified by the stacking hook welded to the upper band.

This example came in a modified Turkish belt frog.

Spring Plunger" "S"

The Canadian Arsenals trademark was adopted in 1947 and replaced the Long Branch trademark used during the Second World War.

This example was reworked post-War following the change from Roman to Arabic numbering. The remnants of the wartime marking are lined through and the new marking applied above.

Four firms produced the No. 4 Mk. II*, all in the UK: Prince-Smith & Stells, Howard & Bullough, Lewisham Engineering, and the Baird Manufacturing Co. 1.4 million No. 4 Mk. II* bayonets were produced, over a million of which were produced by Prince-Smith. The other makers were much less prolific.

The finish varies considerably between manufacturers, with Baird bayonets approaching the excellent finish of the No. 4 Mk. I and some Prince-Smith examples exhibiting rough tool marks.

Before the war, Prince-Smith was a manufacturer of machinery for making woolen textiles.

The "circle-PSK" marking is somewhat of a mystery and is seldom encountered. According to Graham Priest, on a rough scale of observations, he indicated that you see 100 P.S.& S. Ltd for every circle mark; 150 P.S.K for every circle mark, and 500 N56 or unmarked for every circle mark.

P.S.K.
P.S.S. Ltd.
PS over K inside a circle
N56 (not pictured)

In 1943, Prince-Smith was assigned the dispersal code N56.

The last picture shows an unusual Prince-Smith mark comprised of a large "56" on the socket face.

Howard & Bullough converted from the manufacture of cotton spinning machines to the production of shells, gun carriages, mine sinkers, aircraft components, and bayonets. The company disappeared in 1970.

H&B
N30 (pictured at left)
N30 over H&B (pictured at left)

The company was established on the bombed out site of the South East London Indoor Sports Club (destroyed in the blitz bombings of 1940–41), solely to make bayonets. The factory was built by working around the clock during 1942 and was provided with capstans, drilling and milling machines, centre lathes, a steel-hardening and processing plant, and a centre-less grinding machine. The factory eventually went on to produce cylinder heads for Davey-Paxman landing craft engines. The factory site was razed to accommodate (apartment) flats in the mid-1980s.

S376 was Lewisham's dispersal code.

Unlike other makers of No. 4 Mk. II* bayonets, Baird secured the spike to the socket using a steel pin. Other makers welded the spike to the socket. This example has a much finer finish on the socket than other No. 4 Mk. II* bayonets.

Many Baird examples have a crowned IG mark on the socket. Due to similarities with Indian Government acceptance marks, this was once thought to possibly indicate Indian service. However, this has not been substantiated. An increasing consensus is that this simply may be a viewer's mark, as this mark seems only to be found on Baird No. 4 bayonets.

BEC N96

No. 4 Mk. II* over BEC N96, inside an oval (pictured at left)

N96 was Baird's dispersal code.

It was thought that these may have been used by Australian units serving alongside the British Army, however, Australian issue of these bayonets has not been confirmed. An increasing consensus is that this simply may be a British viewer's mark, as this mark seems only to be found on Prince-Smith examples.

According to Jordanian collector/ researcher Ahmad Hatamleh, Jordan and Iraq were the two countries in the Levant where the British helped establish their national armies.

Prior to obtaining independence in 1946, Jordan was a British Protectorate, known as Transjordan.

The British No. 4 Mk. II* socket bayonet was used in Iraq during the Second World War and by the Iraqi Army after the end of British occupation in 1947.

Socket (right) "VNS"

Socket (right):

"à gh" over "1 9 h"

Recent research by Graham Priest determined that "TRM.1", "TRM.2", and "TRM 3" identify the Tinsley Rolling Mills Co. Ltd. of Sheffield. This mark sometimes appears alone and sometimes with another forging contractor’s mark, which suggests that Tinsley supplied steel to several of the socket forging contractors.

"F.F. & S. Ltd." = Fred Fisher & Sons Ltd.

"JW (S) Ltd." = John Wilson Ltd., Sheffield

"TRM.1", "TRM.2", and "TRM 3" = Tinsley Rolling Mills Co. Ltd. of Sheffield

Little is known of their manufacture and use. The maker is unknown, but is believed to be Belgian. The bayonet exhibits better finishing than most British No. 4 Mk. II* bayonets. The period of manufacture is believed to be late-1940s or early-1950s.

The Belgians received Lee-Enfield No. 4 rifles and bayonets after Belgium was liberated in September 1944. The Belgian Army transitioned to the FN Model 1949 rifle beginning in 1951. However, the Rijkswacht (Gendarmerie) used the No. 4 rifle into at least the 1960s.

Both bayonet and scabbard are serial numbered. This suggests production by a private contractor that was paid according to the number of pieces accepted. Serial number observations suggest about 7,000 were made.

Scabbard (mouthpiece): "5171"

Scabbard (frog stud): "Bg" over Crown-JF proofmark

196,200 were produced, all by Joseph Lucas Ltd., Chester Street, Birmingham.

The No. 4 Mk. III was declared obsolete in 1946.

This illustrates just how long after their obsolescence, that bureaucratic inertia can demand retention of items in military stores.

The bayonets are coated with mineral oil (grease), in a waxed "primary pack" paper wrapper. The box label indicates that these were packed July 8, 1957, at the 5th Storage Depot, Moncton, New Brunswick.

The box label indicates that these were packed November 1963, at the 5th Storage Depot.

Sheffield Steel Products of Sheffield, Yorkshire. Sheffield Steel Products produced approximately 670,000 Mk. 1 scabbards.

Vanden Plas (Eng) 1923 Ltd. of Kingsbury Rd., London produced approximately 950,000 Mk. 1 scabbards.

This scabbard is pictured on page 133 of Graham Priest’s book, Spirit of the Pike - British Socket Bayonets of the 20th Century.  According to the author, the example in my collection is still the only brass-throated scabbard reported.

Speculation is that it may be a prototype from a design proposal that was not adopted.

The scabbard is a Mk. I with the broad-lipped steel mouthpiece. The leather belt frog is of unknown origin. It carries the scabbard with the frog stud inwards, where belt frogs almost universally carry scabbards frog stud outwards. The leather is quite thin, suggesting that this might have been done for civilian (e.g., police) use, rather than military use. The frog measures 4.875 in. (125 mm.) long by 1.75 in. (45 mm.) wide at the extremes.

According to Skennerton, 25,000 experimental Mk II scabbards were manufactured by the Franco-British Electrical Company, Tempel Park, Hurley.

However, these scabbards are encountered far too frequently for only 25,000 to have been made. The number actually produced is believed to be 250,000.

The tab measures 4.75 in. (120 mm.) long by 0.8125 in. (21 mm.) wide.

Although troops often resorted to more expedient means of modifying frogs to retain No. 4 scabbards, the Securing Tab remained in British Army stores until the mid-1970s.

The entrenching tool was made by William Hunt & Sons, The Brades Ltd., Brades Steel Works, Oldbury, near Birmingham.

In correspondence, Anthony Carter indicated that Brades was the maker of many of the entrenching tools. He also indicated that P.S.S. was a firm called Princess Silk Shades, who made webbing during the War. AA5081 is the stores catalogue number. AA was webbing.