Enfield sights were lost occasionally. They were soldered on and sometimes came off when bumped. I have several dug ones with one of the ears at the top of the sight bent like it received a bump. Most dug enfield rifles will lose the sight when removed from the dirt. This is due to rust forming and loosening the bond between the rifle and sight. I have one period enfield with no rear sight. Since this enfield had post war use it could have been removed to be used as a shotgun or it could have just come off. I have never read any account of a soldier purposely removing the sight from an enfield. That is why I was curious to the source so I could learn a little more. Most accounts brag on how accurate the enfield was. McGowan's sharpshooters picked it over the Springfield and Mississippi rifles.