Boer War Firearms

[CorditeCrazy]

I'd give my eye teeth for Mk1* Metford, lovely.

[Dirtbuster]

Hi Dion, perhaps you can shed some light on this interesting .303 by Rigby which I acquired a few years ago. Of interest is the escushion plate reading: to TPKKeenan from R Hamilton -Stubber. It appears that they both served in the Boer war so perhaps this was a thank you gift? Would love to know where and when they served.
R Hamilton Stubber sailed from Port Elizabeth on the Colombian 10 July 1902 as part of the 15 / Imperial Yeomanry. He went on to fight in South France in WW1...

[vratvark]

Would love to know where and when they served.

Have you tried the Anglo-Boer war site? Might serve as a stepping stone to get their Mil ID to search further for service records?

https://www.angloboerwar.com/

[High Power]

Captain Robert Hamilto-Stubber 59th Company of the 15th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry. Source Anglo-Boer War website

First name(s)	Robert
Last name	Hamilton-Stubber
Service number	-
Rank	Captain
Regiment	59 (Oxfordshire) Company 15 Battalion Imperial Yeomanry
Year	1899-1902
Biography	-
Country	Great Britain
Notes	A Lieutenant with 1st Life Guards QSA Clasps: CC,OFS,T,SA01,SA02

There were a number of T Keenans and you will need more information to find out which one is yours.

Cheers
Peter

[High Power]

Correction. I first found him on the ABO website and the detail is from Findmypast.co.uk

Peter

[pegasusdion]

Hi Dirtbuster.
Thank you for the post. Please could you post some pics.
Would love to see.
Regards
Dion

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[pegasusdion]

Good Evening All

I have an original Boer War, Boer issued Webley Mark 111 to swop. Serial number 2370.

These revolvers are extremely scarce and I was only able to find my first one at the end of last year.

I have been extremely fortunate to aquire a second one which I would like to swop with a fellow collector / enthusiast.

I would be happy to swop for a good condition Webley NO4 or even a MK2 if I can't get a NO4. This revolver would be considered a heritage item and I would like it to stay local.

Please pm me if interested or if you have an alternate swop proposal.

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[pegasusdion]

1883 Westley Richards OVS Monkey Tail

As the years pass, collectors of historical firearms and militaria find it ever more difficult to find that elusive piece, that show stopper, that piece that just takes your breath away and allows you to travel through time. And for all my efforts, I have not found much in the last year or two.

Before I get carried away, let me first share some information regarding the WR Monkey tail rifle.

It was a capping breach loader and is a transitional breech loading system developed in the mid-nineteenth century, it is a firearm which is loaded at the breech but fired by means of a percussion cap placed on an external nipple. It is one of the stages that firearm design passed through before development of the metallic self-contained center-fire cartridge.

Substantial numbers of these monkey tail rifles were obtained for British infantry troop trials, and further experiments were carried out with Pattern 1853 Enfield rifles converted to breech loading by this.

The Monkey-Tail was a favourite of the Boers at the time and it was to be this weapon that the Boers turned on the British in the first Boer War of 1881, and to great effect, the majority of the 500 Boers who defeated 647 British soldiers at Majuba , carried the Monkey Tail. By European standards an obsolete weapon. The model favoured by the Boers was a short rifle version with a 24” barrel, easy to handle on horseback, yet slightly longer than the standard cavalry carbine, allowing extra-long range accuracy. It is said that Boer boys learned to shoot at an early age and were not considered proficient until they could hit a hen’s egg at a 100 yds. with a Monkey Tail rifle.

The First war for independence had come and gone, it was now 1883 and the OVS wanted to order 1000 rifles for their military forces. The members of the OVS military council and politicians debated for three days whether or not they would be buying the Westley Richards Monkeytail’s or the Westley Richards Martini Henry. Ultimatley, it was decided to order 500 of each. These are all dated 1883 , Marked Westley Richards and they have OVS and a serial number burnt into their stocks.

I am extremely fortunate to own a Westley Richards 1883 OVS Martini. This rifle has been featured in the thread. Last week I was researching the WR 1883 Martini and an OVS Monkeytail popped up in my search results. It was listed a few days prior and had been sold. I felt like I had been hit by a truck. These rifles are extremely scarce and there are no more than four known examples, two of which are in museums. I spoke to the dealer and managed to conclude a deal with the buyer. Absolute joy.

This rifle is in excellent condition considering it has been through a war and that it is almost 140years old. I am very excited be able to own such a heritage item. It’s at moments like this that one can understand the joy and exhilaration of collecting.




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[BBCT]

Congratulations!

I can feel your excitement & joy! ;-)

[CorditeCrazy]

Awesome