The EKINS SEMI-AUTOMATIC S.M.L.E. ATTACHMENT Ian Skennerton Gas-operated versions of the Lee-Enfield at first conjure up notions of designers' imagination and ingenuity.  But to any student or collector fortunate enough to examine any of the Howell, Charlton, Reider or Howard Francis conversions first hand, they appear to be somewhat awkward and their mechanisms cumbersome and even impractical.  In 1981, I visited a leading Lee-Enfield collector in Arizona, U.S.A., who had a .303 Howell in his collection.  To my surprise, he asked me if I would like to shoot it! At first, I thought it might even be dangerous, with the reciprocating bolt and externally fitted cut-down bolt handle.  One only has to contemplate the illustrations on pages 184-187 in the Lee-Enfield Story, especially of the firer's view of the Howell on page 185, to understand my trepidation.  While I have a reputation of not being easily intimidated, it was with some apprehension that I eventually fired the Howell.  And what a pleasant surprise, almost an anti-climax.  The recoil was quite mild and the reciprocating action smooth, for all ten rounds of the magazine. The first patent for a gas-operated Lee-Enfield was taken out by Sir A.T. Dawson and Sir G.T. Buckingham as early as 1918.  The English Howell seems to date from this period as well.  The Charlton was a New Zealand design and the Reider originated in South Africa, both of these during World War 2.  And you guessed it, Australia can also lay claim in the self-loading Lee-Enfield stakes with the Ekins conversion.  A drawing of the Ekins' gas-operated conversion is shown on page 186 of the Lee-Enfield Story; there is also a brief mention on page 187. More information and orlglnal drawings were recently forwarded to me by Ashley Ekins of the Australian War Memorial Official History Unit.  Ashley is the son of Sgt. William Denis Ekins SX22097, who was based at No. 2 AEME Workshops, Alice Springs in 1944. The Ekins family is renowned in Adelaide as a family of gunsmiths.  William Emery Ekins was born in 1853 and died in 1937, succeeded in the business by his son, Archibald.  Archibald Ekins died in 1960, leaving his son., William Dennis, as head of the business.  W.D. Ekins was also known as "Dynamite Den" for his midget car and motor-cycle racing prowess in the 1930's.  Most people knew him just as "Denis" and respected his practical ingenuity and tenacity in everything he tackled.  W.D. Ekins passed away in 1983. Business addresses for the gunmaking family are listed in Adelaide directories as Apollo Place in 1879, at 29 Hindley St. by 1910 and from 1912, at 92 Currie St.  Other directory listings give various addresses for A.L.G. Ekins from 1913 until the mid-1930's, but W.E. Ekins shop is recorded at 92 Currie St. until the 1970's. The Ekins S.M.L.E. drawing is dated 24th March 1944 and explanatory notes were:   1.  Knob of bolt handle removed and modified to use a roller in cam slot of attachment.  New bolt actuator handle fitted.   2.  Connecting link attached to piston (3).   3.  Piston driven against return spring (5) within cylinder (6).   4.  Threaded plug in end of cylinder.   5.  Double helix return spring.   6.  Cylinder fabricated from motor-cycle .. (?). Muzzle end secured to rifle using an inner barrel band.   7. Gas take-off port in barrel, three and a half inches from muzzle (No. 60 drill diameter?) Initially, there was difficulty in correctly locaring the gas port, the first test rifle having the port too close to the breech, resulting in the separation of the cartridge base and the destruction of the bolt.   8.  Pistol grip (Owen gun?) attached to butt by bolt (9) screwed into collar (welded/brazed?) on stock bolt.   9.  Pistol grip bolt. 10.  Bearing bracket attaching mechanism to action frame at charger bridge.  Explanatory notes for cut-away drawing of trigger mechanism:    (a) Lower limb of sear ground to modified and shortened shape    (b) Upper limb of trigger ground to modified and shortened shape.    (c) Elongated screw hole fitted to trigger.    (d) V-springs fitted behind trigger and under trigger nose where modified upper limb engages modified sear. (SMLE extractor springs?)  General comments:  Total weight of attachment and all modifications about 15 ozs. Conversion could be carried out by proficient armourers using parts from a standard armourers' kit and would have added less weight if the major parts had been made from light alloy.  Ekins was working on a 30-round magazine for the rifle but he was unexpectedly transferred from Alice Springs and never completed it.  The semi-automatic rifle conversion operated effectively and many hundreds of rounds were fired through it without significant difficulties or stoppages.  It was subjected to extensive testing by the Army on at least one occasion at Alice Springs and it is believed that details of the rifle were sent to Melbourne. For the connoisseur of automatic Lee-Enfield rifles, there are very few examples in existence, even fewer are accessible.  The Infantry Centre Museum at Singleton has an Australian-made Charlton in their collection, there are likely to be a few remaining Charltons or parts thereof in New Zealand, and some assorted Charlton conversions are held at the Imperial War Museum and M.O.D. Pattern Room in England.  The Capetown Castle Museum has a Reider and a 7.63mm Howard Francis has been recently acquired by the M.O.D. Pattern Room at Nottingham.  The M.O.D. Pattern Room also has a Howell and there is another Howell in private hands in the United States.  Very few and far between indeed, but it is good to know that Australia played a part in these inventors' stakes as well.  Who knows, maybe someone here will even unearth an Ekins prototype some day?  Thanks to:  Ashley Ekins, Official History Unit, A.W.M. Canberra who provided most of the background research here.  References:  "Lee-Enfield Story" Skennerton; Adelaide Advertiser, 9/1/1993