Hunting firearm of Brig.-Gen. C.B. Westmacott

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Hunting firearm of Brig.-Gen. C.B. Westmacott

Postby sakmyk » Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:10 am

I am writing a historical article on one particular antique firearm. The text is to be published in a national firearms’ collecting magazine here in Finland. This gun that I have at hand is a big game rifle made in England in the late 1870s, and it’s sort of a collector’s item. My friend bought it from London in 1988 and imported it to Finland. It was sold to him in an old leather gun-case, and on the lid of that case there is a text “C.B. Westmacott, 1st Worc. Reg:t”.

It is possible that the rifle and this particular gun-case - that once belonged to Brig.-Gen. C.B. Westmacott - have come together just by chance, but on the other hand it is also equally possible that the case is original to this firearm. This would imply that General C.B. Westmacott would have been one of the actual owners of this particular rifle, which I’m examining. Writing a historical text on this kind of items is far more interesting if you can link real persons, places and events to them – otherwise it is basically just writing about the history of gunmaking. I would be in a totally different position in my writing, if I was able to tell actual facts of someone who once owned the rifle – this is the reason for that I'm so keen to dig out these things.

Originally the rifle is most probably sold in India around 1880. It is made in U.K. and retailed by RB Rodda & Co, who had premises and business both in London and in Calcutta, India. Claude Berners Westmacott (then Lieut. Col.) served India at least in 1888-1898. This is one glue, onto which I’m relying in my assumption that the rifle and the case belong together, and CB Westmacott has thus possessed also this rifle, and not only the leather case.

My main concern is then to try and find out the possible link between Gen. Westmacott (plus his gun-case) and the rifle, but I know that it may be extremely difficult. I am, however, very interested in Gen. Westmacott and his life in general. He is known to have been a keen sportsman, and any small detail of his endeavours in that field might also give valuable glues to me.

I learned from one of his distant relatives that his guns might have been sold away from the family in the 1970s. On the other hand, another source (I'm not yet sure about the reliability of that) told that he himself sold most, if not all of his hunting firearms after his retirement in 1920 as he took up archery.

Looking forward to your contribution. Even though you could not give me anything, I’d be very grateful, if you were able to direct me to some other source with these questions of mine.

With kind regards,
Mr Sakari Mykrä
FINLAND
sakmyk
 
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