A Sad Day

In 1966, the Royal Navy buried a .303 Short Magazine Lee Enfield No. 4, in service since 1895, with full military honors at Bisley, England, to mark the end of the venerable rifle’s service. A piper played a lament while cartridges were scattered over the white ensign-draped coffin. The end of the long career of the SMLE resulted from its replacement by the L1A1 SLR as the standard service rifle. The British Army had replaced the SMLE in 1958.