It is very rare to come across a converted  Sparkbrook Mk1*  Service rifle to a Number 1 Mklll SMLE service rifle.

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    This Long Lee Sparkbrook Mk1*  manufactured service rifle was manufactured at the British Government Sparkbrook factory, Birmingham factory in 1900 as it ramped up production in is on going war in South Africa war,   the Boar War was by then in its Second year.

    Like in any war,  Technology moves very fast and the lessons drove the need for a better more modern rifles,  a faster operating rifle with better rifling of the barrel and a super fast firing rate.  

    To be blunt,  if the British did not go though the pain of real time warfare in the Boar war,  then the need for the replacement of the Long Lee Rifle would have never happened........we would have lost to the Imperial German Army in WW1. 

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    The Number 1 Mark lll  SMLE was light years ahead in Weapons technology in August 1914, if the BEF at Mons had not held the line against  20,000 German troops,  the British would have been driven back into the English Channel.   

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   If  Smith-Dorrien (II Corps) had not had such advanced fire power which came with the Number 1 Mklll  SMLE extreme firing rate and high magazine capacity at Mons, Smith-Dorrien  ll Corps would have been wiped out.  Again like all the British Generals in WW1 , they all had battlefield experience in the Boar war. 

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    In 1903 the Long lee service rifle was replaced by Number 1 Mk1 SMLE service rifle and in 1904 the Number 1 Mk1* was in full production after modification from the original SMLE Mk1. 

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   In 1906 the Government Sparkbrook factory was sold to the BSA Company on the promise of British Government buying  SMLE Number 1 Mk1*  from the BSA Company.

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   It became pretty clear to the BSA Company by late December 1906 that the British Government was in fact had never had any intension to order any SMLE Number 1 Mk1* from BSA.   

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   In 1907 the BSA Company closed down the Sparkbrook rifle factory down and convert it to manufacturing motorcycle and trucks.

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   In 1907 the New Number 1 Mark lll service rifle was in production at R.S.A.F Enfield but it had tooling problems with the manufacture of the Mklll,  so production carried on at the Enfield factory of the Number 1 Mk1* service rifle until mid October 1907.

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   By mid 1907 the Number 1 Mklll was in full production running along side the Number 1 Mk1* production line.

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   In 1905 the British Government started converting the now discontinued Long Lee rifles held in War Reserve to SMLE Number 1 Mk1* this conversion program was called the ConD ll  program.

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  In 1908 the Government start converting Long Lee Service rifles held in War Reserve to the new Number 1 Mklll  specification and this program was called the  ConD lV  and this rifle is one of those conversion done at the Enfield factory in 1908..