WEAPONS
Buying specimens--Storing them--Hand culverins--The serpentin--The
wheel-lock--The flint-lock--The rifle--Swords--The effect of armour
on swords--Swords with historical associations--Other weapons
Of all the antiques which are to be found in an average bric-à-brac
shop there is probably nothing upon which the dealer is so ignorant as
the class of military curio which comes under the head of weapons; as
a consequence, we find that the ruling prices for these relics of the
battlefield are either excessively dear or ridiculously cheap.
There is nothing in this state of things to cause the collector of
weapons to grumble, for if he be wise he will add to his treasures when
a bargain is to be had, but not when specimens are dear. The process
makes collecting a somewhat slow business, but it enables us to get
together a whole host of interesting things at a very small cost.
A few weeks ago the writer spent an afternoon in going round to the
antique shops in a certain quarter of London. Here are some of the
prices which he was asked, and which he considers were out of reason.
For a rifle used by Kruger's men, £5; worth at the most half this sum.
For a rifle and bayonet said to have been used at Waterloo, £1. For
a sixteenth-century sword, 5s. The sword was so heavy that it would
have almost fetched this price as old metal. For an eighteenth-century
flint-lock, not in good condition, £20. Needless to add, that while the
writer was not impelled to purchase the flint-lock, he snapped up the
sword eagerly.
The collector of weapons must be very careful how he stores his
treasures. To leave, say, a bayonet where it can be handled by
children is almost a criminal act; to buy a firearm and not examine
the charging chamber immediately is, if anything, a trifle more
unscrupulous. Thoughtlessness has accounted for a good many tragedies,
and so it ought to be the determination of the curio-hunter to see
that his treasures are stored out of harm's way. Swords, bayonets,
rifles, and other lengthy weapons are conveniently kept on the walls
of living-rooms, and if placed horizontally and fairly high up are
safe and ornamental. Smaller things, such as daggers and pistols, are
better preserved in glass cases. Steel implements which, when exposed
continuously to the air, are apt to deteriorate, should be carefully
cleaned and then coated with a thin layer of copal varnish. If the
varnish be painted on sparingly and no patches are left uncoated, the
metal will remain bright permanently, and only require an occasional
dusting. If the specimen which is to be treated is rusty, it should be
carefully gone over previously with emery, but should it have a chased,
engraved, or damascened surface, it will be advisable to soak it
in benzine for a week or more, and then give it a rubbing until a
sufficient polish has been obtained.
[Illustration: A SOUTH AFRICAN POM-POM SHELL AND A MARTINI-HENRI
CARTRIDGE.]
[Illustration: CARTRIDGES AS USED IN THE GREAT WAR. (From left to
right: German, French, Belgian, and British.)]
* * * * *
Of the weapons with which we shall deal in these pages, probably
firearms are the most interesting. Such implements have been in use
among armies for many centuries, but as cannon and other large pieces
possess little interest for the collector, on account of their size,
it will be convenient to omit the earliest firearms and speak first of
hand culverins.
This weapon consisted of a small tube of ½ to ¾ in. internal
diameter, fixed to a straight piece of wood or welded to an iron
handle. At the close of the fifteenth century it was extensively
employed. In 1471 culverins were in the army of Edward IV, after his
landing at Ravenspur, Yorkshire. The smallest hand patterns, weighing
15 lb., were used on horseback, whilst heavier weapons of sixty odd
pounds' weight were manipulated by foot soldiers and fired from
trestles or tripods.[12]
[12] See article on "Firearms" in _Chambers's Encyclopædia_.
The culverin may be seen in a variety of makes; some possess a
touch-hole and flash-pan at the side, whilst the earlier kinds have no
flash-pan at all. In some the barrel is circular, whilst in others it
is hexagonal or octagonal. Of course, specimens are only to be found in
museums, and are seldom obtainable for private collections.
Early in the sixteenth century the culverin gave place to the
serpentin, which, in turn, was slightly modified and became the famous
match-lock. To fire the culverin, the attendant had to stand with a
lighted match over the touch-hole, but in the serpentin the igniter was
gripped by a lever which descended into the flash-pan. The match-lock
had the flash-pan covered by a lid, which gave a certain amount of
protection to the sparking action in wet or windy weather.
The next innovation was the wheel-lock, a weapon which possessed a
metal disc provided with a serrated edge. By winding up the disc and
using the trigger to release it, it was possible to make the serrated
wheel fly round at a considerable rate. As the rough teeth revolved,
they scraped against a piece of flint and so produced sparks, which
flew into the flash-pan and caused ignition of the powder charge. The
system was certainly an ingenious one, but the cost of making these
elaborate pieces of mechanism militated against the general use of the
wheel-lock for army purposes.
After the wheel-lock came the flint-lock. This style of arm possessed a
hammer which was provided with a "flint-cock." When released, the flint
and the steel came into violent contact, and produced sparks which flew
into the touch-powder.
The flint-lock was commonly used in the Netherlands, and was brought
to England by William of Orange, remaining in use until 1840.[13]
Specimens are obtainable for private collections, but early patterns
are of some rarity and fairly expensive.
The later history of the hand firearm used in the Army is interesting.
"In 1635 a patent was taken out for making rifles in England. In the
first half of the next century Benjamin Robins, a gunsmith, who died
in 1751, made an alteration in the centre of gravity in the rifle by
placing it nearer the forepart, and he also made the bullets oval
instead of round. He discovered the true theory of the rifle: 'That
the spinning of a rifle ball, like the rotation of an arrow, kept
the axis of either in the same direction throughout their flight,
and, to a great extent, prevented the irregularities caused by the
inequalities in the substance of the bullet when driven from a shot-gun
or musket.' But strangely enough Robins, though by far the ablest
writer on projectiles of his own and many succeeding generations,
exercised but a slight influence on his contemporaries. The Government
of his day was not moved by his representations, or convinced by his
theory. The Ministers of that day were slow in adopting improvements,
a common failing of Ministers as a body, and riflemen were unknown
among English troops until the necessity for them was made evident
in the American War. The rifle was necessary to the existence of the
backwoodsmen. Practice made them excellent shots, and when the Colonial
irregulars were able to obtain suitable cover, regular troops could not
stand before them. After a time foreign aid was resorted to. Hessian,
Hanoverian, and Danish riflemen were engaged to serve against the
revolted colonists; and it was not until upwards of ten years after the
independence of America was recognized that the first English rifle
regiment was formed."[14]
[13] See article on "Firearms" in _Chambers's Encyclopædia_.
[14] W. G. Clifford, "Peeps at the British Army," p. 68.
During the first half of the nineteenth century all infantry
regiments, with the exception of the Rifle Corps, were served with
smooth-bored muskets, but after 1851 the Minié rifle was universally
used. This weapon showed a distinct advance, but it had one serious
drawback--it was heavy, as many of the men who fought in the Crimea
learned by bitter experience. In 1853 the long Enfield rifle, a much
lighter implement, was given to our soldiers. This was followed in
1860 by the short pattern Enfield; in 1864 by the Snider; in 1871 by
the Martini-Henri; in 1886 by the Enfield-Martini; in 1887 by the
Lee-Metford, Mark I, and the Mark II in 1898; whilst to-day the Service
pattern is the Lee-Enfield, Mark III.
* * * * *
Swords are interesting weapons from the collector's point of view.
As the antique specimens were stoutly made, of material that did not
easily perish, it is quite possible to buy them, two or three hundred
years old, at no very great cost.
It is not an easy matter to detect the date of a sword, but the armed
figures on old prints, drawings, coins, etc., often hint at the period
of construction. The Bayeux tapestry, for instance, enables us to see
that the Norman pattern was of simple design, being straight, rather
short, tapering and double-edged, whilst the handle was merely a grip
with but little protection. This shape of sword, it may be said, was
used for some three or four hundred years, and even in 1400 the
majority of the specimens were much the same. It is true that by this
time the quillons were becoming curved towards the blade, probably so
that a slash would be arrested before it reached the knuckle of the
soldier who received the blow. Of the sword of this period Ashdown
writes: "The sword was attached to the belt at the uppermost part of
the scabbard, and hung perpendicularly at the left side. It generally
had a wheel pommel and a swelling grip, with quillons either straight
or drooping slightly towards the blade. The latter was about an inch
and a half broad at the hilt, thirty inches in length, and tapered to
the point, while the section was either of a flattened or a lozenge
shape. It was double-edged, and had a grip of varying dimensions,
ranging from four inches in length to an extent which, in some
examples, almost suggests a two-handed weapon, or the hand-and-a-half
or bastard sword of a later period. The pommel, grip, and scabbard
were at times elaborately enriched with a profusion of ornament. A new
weapon was introduced at this period, the misericorde or dagger of
mercy, used for dispatching a fallen foe whose wounds were beyond all
surgical aid. It was a straight dagger, with no guard as a rule, and
having both the hilt and scabbard curiously ornamented; the blade had
but one edge, the section being triangular."[15]
[15] "Arms and Armour," p. 181.
[Illustration: Weapons
1. Sword of time of Norman Conquest.
2. Sword of Fifteenth Century.
3. Court Sword of Eighteenth Century.
4. Basket of Cavalry Sword, Nineteenth Century.
5. Cutlas Sabre, Fifteenth Century.
6. Glaive.
7. Bill.
8. Halberd.
9. Pole Axe-head.
10. Head of Two-handed Sword.
]
As armour became more developed so changes appeared in the sword.
The implement of medium weight was no longer serviceable against
well-tempered metal suits; accordingly, the sword became heavy and
ponderous, so that it might smash where it would not be able to cut. So
heavy were specimens made that they needed two hands to wield them, and
as this prevented a shield being supported, the quillons were so shaped
as to give extra protection. This was the origin of the basket hilts of
present patterns.
[Illustration: AN OLD SWORD WITH STRAIGHT CROSS-GUARDS.]
[Illustration: AN ITALIAN DAGGER HAVING A REPLICA OF THE FAMOUS COLUMN
OF ST. MARK FOR GRIP.]
Some swords are worthy of note on account of their shape and age, but
others claim attention by reason of their historical associations. In
the Royal United Service Museum there are many that are worth seeing
from the latter point of view. One in particular may be mentioned. The
exhibit bears the following inscription: "Sword of Admiral Villeneuve,
Commander-in-Chief of the combined fleets of France and Spain,
surrendered to Lord Collingwood at the battle off Cape Trafalgar,
October 21, 1805. It was offered to Captain Atcherley, of the Marines.
Atcherley refused to accept it, and took Villeneuve in his boat that
he might surrender to Captain Pellew. Admiral Villeneuve, having been
taken prisoner, was sent to England, where he was detained until May 3,
1806."
* * * * *
Beyond firearms and swords the collector may find many treasures among
such weapons as daggers, bayonets, lances, battle-axes, pikes, spears,
boomerangs, assegais, and native clubs. It should always be remembered,
however, that the weapons used by British forces, past and present, are
of more interest and value than those coming from savage races.