Title: From Target Shooting to War: The Rise of Parker Hale in the UK

Once upon a time, the UK was a bustling hub for firearms, and at the heart of it all was Parker Hale. Founded in 1890 by Alfred Gray Parker and later joined by his nephew Arthur Hale in 1910, this company started with a bang in the world of small-bore target rifles and shooting accessories. The Brits were all about competition shooting back then, especially after getting schooled by South African sharpshooters during the Boer War. But when World War I rolled around, Parker Hale really hit the jackpot. They whipped up a genius .22LR conversion kit for the Lee-Enfield rifle, cranking them out left and right to train the flood of new recruits. Talk about going from zero to hero in the firearms game!