The Armourer December 2022

If you’ve ever wondered why Britain came to have a 100 year lease on Hong Kong or had an important military presence in Shanghai in WWII, you need to turn back the clock to the 19th century and discover the story of the Opium Wars. There were two of these, but both were centred around trade with China and notably, the highly profitable trade in opium. By the time of the Second Opium War the French had got involved as well and the trade dispute erupted into open warfare. Read on to see how the modern weapons gave the European forces a huge advantage over the Chinese, leading to what became known, for China, as the century of humiliation. In another trip back in time to the Far East, we…

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SHOWS Railways at war Earlier this year the ever-popular Railway in Wartime event, hosted by North Yorks Moor Railways in October, was cancelled again, but not because of Covid. This time the reason given was that it was on advice from the Heritage Railway Association that all historic railways should cancel wartime events because of the war in Ukraine. The Armourer asked the Heritage Railway Association what advice it had given to NYMR and others, considering that the Ukraine conflict has the potential to drag on for years. Also, what was the reasoning, considering these events are historic and not a reflection of Russian aggression in the Ukraine? Steve Oates, Chief Executive of the HRA provided this response to our questions: ‘The Heritage Railway Association has not cancelled or banned…

The team behind Family Tree magazine has launched Family Tree Plus, an online community that offers interactive club meetings, magazine library and more. Family Tree Plus provides members with an online programme of presentations and discussions covering a rich range of family history topics at the monthly meetings of the Study Club, DNA Club and Genealogy Gadgets Club. In addition, Family Tree Plus members enjoy unlimited access to a growing and searchable online library of Family Tree magazine back issues, immediate access to the latest online edition of Family Tree, a library of genealogy resources, an exclusive newsletter, and special discounts. Family Tree Editor Helen Tovey said, “With Family Tree Plus we’ll continue to do what we’ve always done – create useful, friendly content with our audience at its heart. We’re…

F O R S A L E Over my years of collecting, I’ve never really focused on the Victorian period. I’m not sure why, possibly as a youth I was more interested in WWI and WWII, due to my exposure to war films and Commando comics. The British Army during the Victorian era served through a period of great technological and social change. Queen Victoria had ascended the throne in 1837 and died in 1901, her long reign was marked by the steady expansion and consolidation of the British Empire, rapid industrialisation, and the enactment of liberal reforms within Britain. The British Army had entered this period with very few differences from the British Army of the Napoleonic Wars that had won at Waterloo. From the end of the Napoleonic…

52nd Contemporary at Ratisbon’s The next sale at European dealer Ratisbon’s is the 52nd Contemporary Auction, running from 13-20 November. The first consignments have just arrived so let’s take a look. First up, a very nice Heer officer’s sabre in condition 1-2. Featuring a nickel-plated steel blade showing the maker’s mark of ‘Alcoso’. Very nice gilded brass handle fittings. The front langet bears the national eagle. Black celluloid grip with intact wire wrapping. No damage. Also, full original black paint on the scabbard with no dents. Bidding starts at £614 and remember to add Buyer’s Premium of 22.5% on at the end. Next, a pair of Luftwaffe Flak Regiment 44 shoulder boards. Nice EM shoulder boards, sewn-on type, machine-embroidered cyphers, outer trim in red, numbering in pink. A matching pair!…