[Johnny Peppers]

Very, very respectfully, not true. Any weapon whether military or commercial that has been released to be sold on the commercial market or exported from England must comply with the British Commercial Proof Act. During WWII the US military weapons procured by England were exempt from the commercial proof law, but the day they were released by the British government they too were required to be proofed before sale. Witness the early M1 Rifles sent to England under the Lend-Lease agreement of 1941. Each and every one of these rifles which were declared surplus by the British government in the mid 50's will all bear the proof marks of the Proof Act of 1955. Most of the 1911A1 pistols that were sent to England were surplused in 1952 and will bear the proof marks of the Proof Act of 1925 which included NOT ENGLISH MAKE and RELEASED BRITISH GOVT.1952.

Also note all the British infantry rifles imported to the US which bear either the Birmingham Proof or London Proof House proofs.

Your source of information that indicates that surplus military weapons being sold and/or exported from England required no proofs is simply in error.