Wartime issue pellets

Wartime issue pellets 

With thanks to John M for the following explanation:

I have seen 1941 and 1942 dated examples and it has been suggested the pellets were intended for use with the BSA Military Pattern or Webley Mark [2] rifles on the basis they are military issue. However, the 41 or 42 code relates to the year (1941/1942) and by this time both rifles had been discontinued.

At a time when pellets were in short supply to the general public, these were intended for use by the military in all likelihood for marksmanship training of Home Guard or cadet units. The base is plain and simply consists of the end of the wrap around label stuck down.

DECIPHERING CODES
H.1104 at top left is the label identification code. The H prefix denotes the ammunition was intended for Land service. One example of this box I examined had one label stuck over another and the label underneath revealed a Mark I pellet box with an N code in place of H.1104 and no numerical suffix. The N suggests the box was intended for naval use.

The Broad arrow mark tells us the item belonged to the War Department and was therefore Government Property when issued. I.S.S.A. signifies the pattern of the box and its contents had the approval of theInspectorate of Small Arms Ammunition. This was later changed to Inspectorate of Small Arms and Ammunition after WW2, when ISA based at Enfield merged with the I.S.S.A. and small arms also came under the Inspectorate’s remit in addition to ammunition.

42 is the year of manufacture but it is unclear what the L8 denotes nor the 1. It could be a batch or ‘Lot’ reference and the 1 may denote the month of manufacture. Perhaps a knowledgeable collector can answer this question? I also once owned a similar box, which was also stamped L8 1 41.