Automatic Lee-Enfield Conversions
From 1918 to 1945, the lack of a self-loading rifle in British service resulted in several attempts to produce one. One approach to this was to convert the standard-issue Short Magazine Lee-Enfield into an automatic rifle, thus negating the hassle of adopting an entirely new gun.
The first patent for a self-loading SMLE conversion was taken out in 1918 on behalf of Arthur Trevor Dawson and George Thomas Buckham, two British engineers who had hundreds of patents to their name. Like most of their inventions, their auto-SMLE was never actually made.
The earliest prototype for a weapon of this type is a gas-operated Lee-Metford rifle of an uncertain make. It was a basic gas-operated affair with a redesigned bolt, operated by a sliding cam slot.
Howell-pattern prototype, built around a surplus Lee-Metford rifle.
Afterward came the Howell. This was a rudimentary-looking conversion that utilized a long gas tube running from a gas port in the barrel to the bolt. The bolt’s movement was guided by a large cam that resembled a sword guard. The operation was somewhat violent so efforts were made to protect the user’s right hand from the bolt’s movement. This included adding a basic pistol grip to the stock and a manner of protective sheathes around the trigger. The conversion was a rather crude one, but it worked quite well.
The Howell conversion.
Unfortunately, not a lot of information was recorded about the Howell. The designer was one Mr. N. Howell and his conversion probably dates back to World War I - it is not known exactly when, but probably later in the war. Howell conversions were still being performed into the early 1920s. Where the conversions were performed is also not known. The intention was almost certainly to arouse military interest, although the end of the war probably brought an end to any chance of adoption.
In 1937, perhaps anticipating a second war, Mr. Howell brought the conversion to the attention of the army once again, and once again there was no interest. In 1940, the Board of Ordnance received a proposal to issue the Home Guard with Howell conversions for use as anti-aircraft weapons, although contrary to popular belief, this proposal was denied and no such weapons were ever issued to the Home Guard.
After that the Howell disappeared. But the concept lived on in several wartime designs from across the Commonwealth.
In 1941, a New Zealand motor repairman, Philip Charlton, evolved the concept further. Designed in response to New Zealand’s shortage of arms, the Charlton conversion was designed to take old Lee-Metford rifles and convert them into light machine guns. He forwarded his proposal to the New Zealand Army, who placed some faith in Mr. Charlton to deliver 1,500 conversions.
Charlton’s conversion was of a more advanced design. Like the Howell, it used gas operation and an angled cam slot to operate the bolt. However, it also had the capability to fire rapidly at a rate of 700rpm. This was achieved by adding a second tube underneath the gas tube that contained a return spring and guide rod. The Charlton was also built to feed from modified 30-round Bren magazines. A finned barrel, pistol grip, vertical foregrip, and bipod were all built onto the gun and the end product barely resembled an SMLE at all.
The Charlton automatic conversion with SMLE mag.
The Charlton with the modified Bren magazine.
The Charlton conversion blueprints.
Charlton performed these conversions at his motor workshop in Hastings. Many of the surplus rifles he was to convert had become decrepit and the army could not spare any replacement parts, so Charlton had to outsource repairs to several other workshops in the local area, dragging down the production time considerably. Soon enough the supply of Lee-Metfords was expended and SMLEs were now used instead. Production came along very slowly but ultimately all 1,500 units were finished before the war’s end in 1945.
After the war, most of the Charlton conversions were put into storage in a military depot in Palmerston, which was later destroyed in a fire, taking most of the Charlton guns with it. Now only a few survive today and are mostly museum pieces.
In 1944, the Electrolux company of Australia produced two prototypes of an improved Charlton gun. The operated was the same but it was built to a better standard with a new, redesigned body. This version could have been quite reliable but by the time it was produced, there was no interest in the design.
Australia also had another SMLE conversion. It was designed in 1944 by Sgt. William Ekins, from a family of gunsmiths, and was similar in concept to the Howell. Blueprints for the conversion were drawn up at the Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers workshops, but it is not likely that a working model was ever built.
The Electrolux-built Charlton conversion.
The Ekins automatic rifle from Australia. 
MK1. 
. MK1S. 
! kokoda 1
kokoda 2 
# Australian Electrolux Prototype Electric Machine Gun (Apparently). Anyone have any information on this.
![[A production AC1 tank]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sentinel_(AWM_101156).jpg)
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AELT 
