Download Colonial Conflicts

Colonial Conflicts
INTRODUCTION
It is not within the scope of this article to give a detailed history of the British colonial expansion and
the conflicts which largely resulted from this growth during the 19th century. What follows is an overview of
the various wars, rebellions and invasions which make up part of British colonial history. Purists might also
complain that I have ignored the major conflicts in North America, The American War of Independence and
the war of 1812. This is deliberate as these were major conflicts fought largely by standing armies, using Board
of Ordnance long guns and are somewhat outside the scope of this article on Non Ordnance carbines. We will,
therefore, concentrate on the history of Colonial conflicts where it is recognised, by reference to surviving
examples of carbines, that a considerable quantity of privately proofed carbines were sold and used.
Many of the later capping breech loading and cartridge breech loading carbines which were privately
made and bore London or Birmingham private proof marks, were made for export to the new British colonies
in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Prior to this, however, many private flint locks and later, percussion
guns, were used by police or would have been taken to the Colonies by settlers. Some would have been exported,
for sale, by British gunmakers.
It is important, then, to have an overview of the political and social climate in which conflicts arose
and the various civilians, volunteers, police and irregulars who would have purchased and used carbines. These
include not only British settlers and official organisations such as police and prison guards, but also opposing
native forces and in the case of South Africa, Boer irregulars.
The expansion of British lands into native territories necessitated that settlers should have guns for
protection. By the 1860’s and 1870’s gun technology had greatly improved with the advent of breech loading
arms and later the repeating rifle. With these new improvements, English gunmakers sent large quantities of
older models of guns to the Colonies to sell for large profits. This influx of guns greatly influenced and helped
to escalate wars and it is estimated that, towards the end of the 19th Century, around 4 million pounds of gun
powder was sold in the German and British occupied regions of Africa alone. In 1879, unconfirmed sources
estimate that the Zulu tribes had around 8,000 guns, and around 1896 the Shona and the Matabele may have
had as many as 10,000 guns between the two groups. Guns were also used to attract workers to the mines,
because they were sold at and close to, mining camps. In fact, some white diggers offered firearms in exchange
for a season’s work.
SOUTH AFRICAN CONFLICTS
The British first took control of the Cape Colony from the Dutch in 1795, with possession officially
declared in 1806. The strategic position of Cape Town made it an ideal naval port for ships journeying to and
from the established British colonies in Australia, New Zealand and India.
Around 1820, the British Government, under Prime Minister Robert Banks Jenkinson, Earl of Liverpool,
relocated a large number of settlers to the South African colony. This brought about two distinct groups of
settlers, the British colonists and the Dutch Boers, who included Germans and French Huguenots, who had
settled during the time of the Dutch East India Company from 1652. In general the Dutch followed their
traditional occupation of farming with the British tending to live in the townships and work in trade and
manufacturing.
Xhosa Conflicts (Cape Frontier Wars)(1811-1879)
A number of early conflicts had occurred with the Xhosa people in 1811, 1818 to 1819 in the East of
the Cape Colony. Further conflicts in 1834 to 1835, 1846 to 1853 and 1877 to 1879 resulted in all Xhosa
territory eventually being lost to the Cape colonists.
Anglo Zulu War (1879)
Settlers had first come into conflict with the warlike Zulus in the 1830’s, as they expanded into Zulu
territory. For forty years or more there was relative peace between the British and the Zulu nation, until, in
1879, the high Commissioner, Henry Bartle Frere, claimed that Natal was threatened by a possible Zulu invasion
under Cetshwayo. Frere, without consulting London, issued a number of ultimatums to the Zulus. The most
significant ultimatum was to abolish the Zulu military system within 30 days. This clearly was not acceptable
to the Zulu and would provoke conflict. British forces under Lord Chelmsford crossed the Blood River and set
up camp at Isandlwana. The resulting massacre of most of the British force is well documented, bringing about
one of the worst military defeats in British history. This made it necessary for the British to crush the Zulu and
this happened when a vastly superior British force decisively beat Cetshwayo at Ulundi.
First Boer War (1880-1881)
The British success in controlling the Zulus on the border of the Boer Transvaal allowed the Boers to
concentrate on the issue of independence from the British in the Transvaal. Negotiations with the British over
independence having failed and with the haughty British ignoring the potential threat of war the Boers rebelled,
in late 1880, over an illegal seizure of a wagon, for unpaid taxes. The Boers had never recognised the annexation
of the Transvaal in 1877 and on 13th December, they declared Transvaal independent, precipitating the first
Boer war. The war had very little in the way of large scale conflicts and the first skirmish lead to the surrender
of an unprepared British column at Bronkhorstspruit on 20th December 1880. Under the new High
Commissioner, Sir George Colley, units were assembled to avenge this British defeat and they marched on the
besieged British garrisons and demanded the Boer’s surrender. A series of engagements ensued in early 1881,
with the result that the British lost a quarter of their troops. Colley was determined to redeem his reputation
and engaged the Boers at the Battle of Majuba Hill. The British seized the hill but did not set up adequate
defensive positions. Colley was killed in the final Boer assault, the defeat shocking the British both in South
Africa and at home. Although some demanded vengeance, a settlement was agreed which gave the Boers
independence, with only nominal lip service being paid to the British Crown, allowing a British withdrawal
with minimum embarrassment.
First & Second Matabele Wars (1893-1894) & (1896-1897)
There were two rebellions on the part of the Matabele people against colonial authority. The first, in
1893, occurred when the Matabele attacked the Shona people living near Fort Victoria. Unintentional
confrontation broke out between the Matabele and the British soldiers in the fort and although outnumbered,
the British with their superior weapons quickly suppressed the Matabele and the king, Lobengula, fled and
died. The second war started when the Matabele rebelled against the authority of the British South Africa
Company. After a number of inconclusive skirmishes the cost of the war became too much for the British South
Africa Company and a compromise agreement was reached to end the war.
Second Boer War (1899-1902)
The causes of the second Boer war have remained in dispute for over a century. The Boers felt that the
British were intending to annex the Transvaal. The British, however, wanted to ensure that the strength and
stability of British commercial and colonial interests remained safely in the hands of the British Empire.
The war was fought in three phases. The first phase began with a Boer offensive push to besiege the
garrisons at Ladysmith, Mafeking and Kimberley. The Boers used a quick-hitting mobile style of war, based
on their experiences fighting the British in the first Boer War. Attempts to relieve these besieged garrisons met
with mixed results. The British were ill prepared to face the well equipped Boers and lost a large number of
men in the first attempts to push into and defeat the Boers, at places such as Magersfontein, Stormberg, and
Colenso.
The second phase began with Britain reeling from defeats and deploying the largest British force ever
sent overseas. The British commander, Sir Redvers Buller, began the British offensive with an attack on the
hill of Spion Kop. While the British won this battle, they belatedly realized that the hill was over-looked by
Boer gun emplacements which caused heavy casualties. The British withdrew during the night and it was
reoccupied by the Boers. The British eventually broke through the Boer defenses at Hlangwhane/Pieters Hill.
Buller suffered another defeat at Vaal Krantz and was relieved as commander of British forces. His
replacement was Field Marshall Lord Frederick Roberts, who managed to win a series of battles against the
Boers by committing overwhelming numbers of British forces against them. He pushed into and captured the
Orange Free State in May 1900 and then pushed into the Transvaal, to capture Johannesburg on 31 May. Roberts
declared the war over after the capture of the Orange Free State and Johannesburg, announcing the formation
of the South African Republic. It was at this point that the Boers, initially demoralized by the overwhelming
numbers of British troops, began the third phase of the Second Boer War with a guerilla campaign.
The Boer forces regrouped into smaller units and used guerilla tactics to destroy railways, bridges and
telegraph lines. The British were unprepared for this type of warfare and resorted to becoming more brutal
against the civilian population. In September 1900 refugee camps were set up, for homeless civilians. These
camps became the infamous concentration camps, in which the conditions for the civilians rapidly deteriorated.
In Decemeber 1900 Herbert Kitchener took over as British commander and instigated a policy of restricting
Boer movements by blockhouses and barbed wire fences. By 1901 & 1902 these blockhouses and fences were
posing a serious problem for the Boers. Additionally, three-quarters of their cattle had been killed and taken
away and they were struggling just to survive. By this time many Boers had decided that it would be best to
simply accept British rule, as Kitchener now had built up an army of 250,000 troops, built 8,000 blockhouses
and had 3,700 miles (6,000 km) of wire.
Negotions for ending the war began in April 1902 and although the Boers were granted some
concessions, the Transvaal and Orange Free State had to recognise King Edward VII as sovereign, and they
became two Crown Colonies. Many of the Boers considered this a betrayal of one of their key principles for
fighting the war.
Carbines for South Africa
As with many colonial police and volunteer forces, The Natal Volunteers were, over a period, issued
with a mixture of commercially manufactured British rifles and carbines, arms made by the British Government
for the Colonies and surplus British military weapons. These included locally shortened Pattern 1853 Rifles
(c1860-1863), to provide a short rifle for mounted use. Privately made Calisher & Terry Carbines (1863-1875)
and Snider Cavalry Carbines, (1871-1896). The Natal Volunteers appear to have had a mix of commercial
Snider carbines by Blakemore and Ordnance carbines, the latter being received from the Cape just prior to the
Zulu War.
Other cartridge breech loading carbines on the falling block principle were issued, such as the Swinburn
Henry Carbine (1875 -1896), which took a bayonet, together with various Ordnance Martini carbines:
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
Martini Metford Cavalry Carbines Mk III
Martini Enfield Cavalry Carbines Mk.I
Martini Enfield Artillery Carbines Mk.III
Martini Enfield Cavalry Carbine Mk.I* (post 1900).
We are indebted to Mr Terry Willson for his research and he has been able to establish that the carbines
above were used by the Natal Volunteers at the end of the 19th century. There was considerable overlap
with various regiments being issued with different weapons at the same time. Different sections within the
same regiment also varied in armament. Note also that the Snider cavalry carbine was still in use in 1894. This
was recorded for one troop in the Natal Carbineers! There may have been other units so imposed upon, but
research has not been able to confirm this. Some of the evidence is also unfortunately contradictory and another
problem was the confusion between Swinburn Henrys, Martini Henrys, Martini Metfords and Martini
Enfields!
So far, research by Mr Willson has found little evidence that commercial carbines were issued by the Cape
Government. The Boer forces were also prolific purchasers of guns from England and Germany. ‘British Non
Ordnance Carbines’ illustrates a Westley Richards ‘Monkey Tail’ carbine marked to the Orange Free State (see
photo at the end of the article).
AUSTRALIAN CONFLICTS
The Australian frontier wars were a series of conflicts fought between the European settlers and the
indigenous Aboriginal Australians. Between 1788 and the early 1930’s it’s estimated that some 20,000
Aborigines and 2,000 to 2,500 Europeans died in these conflicts.
Lieutenant James Cook lead the first voyage by Europeans along the the Australian East coast, in HM
Barque Endeavour, in 1770 and in 1786, the British Government decided to establish a penal colony in Australia.
During the 1790’s and early 1800’s small settlements were established along the Australian coastline. This, of
course, led to competition for resources with the local inhabitants and eventual hostility and conflict. Frontier
warfare broke out in the late 18th century and continued into the 20th century. Conflicts, however, were between
individual tribes and local settlers rather than open warfare. On the British side, armed settlers sometimes
supported by the British army and later with mounted police units, fought with flintlock arms and later
percussion guns. The New South Wales, Victorian and Western Australian Governments purchased quantities
of P44 Yeomanry carbines (Ordnance pattern) for police work and later breech loading rifles.
In general the Aborigines fought with traditional spears and clubs. By the mid 19th century advances
in firearms technology gave the settlers a significant advantage over the tribes. As the tribes did not form
confederations capable of sustained resistance, the conflict became a series of local engagements and massacres
across the continent.
New South Wales
The first frontier war began in 1795, when the British established farms along the Hawkesbury River
west of Sydney. Some of these settlements were established by soldiers as a means of providing security for
the region. The local Darug people raided farms until Governor Macquarie dispatched troops from the 46th
Regiment in 1816. Conflict began again when the British expanded into inland New South Wales in 1824. The
settlers, who crossed the Blue Mountains, were harassed by Wiradjuri warriors, who killed or wounded
stock-keepers and stock and were killed themselves, in retaliation. In response, Governor Brisbane proclaimed
martial law in August 1824. Brisbane also established the New South Wales Mounted Police in 1825. They
had previously been mounted infantry from the 3rd Regiment (East Kent, The Buffs).
Van Dieman’s Land (Tasmania)
A settlement was established in 1803, with relative peace until the mid 1820’s, when expansion caused
conflict over land. This lead to the ‘Black War’ where over 50 British were killed between 1828 and 1830.
In 1830 Lieutenant-Governor Arthur attempted to end the 'Black War' with a massive offensive. Ten
percent of the colony's male civilian population were mobilised and marched across the settled districts, in
company with police and soldiers, in an attempt to clear Indigenous Australians from the area. This discouraged
further raiding parties and the tribes agreed to leave their land for a reservation.
Northern Australia
Between 1824 and 1838 the British tried to establish three military outposts at Fort Dundas, Fort
Wellington and Fort Victoria. By 1845 all had been abandoned.
Western Australia
The first British settlement in Western Australia was established, by the British Army at Albany in
1826 and relations between the garrison and the local Minang people were generally good. Open conflict
between Noongar and European settlers broke out in Western Australia in the 1830’s, as the Swan River Colony
expanded out from Perth. The Battle of Pinjarra is the best known single event and this was fought, in October
1833, between a party of British soldiers and mounted police, led by Governor Stirling, on the banks of the
Murray River. Fighting continued on into the 1840’s along the Avon River, near York. In 1892 the discovery
of gold near Coolgardie brought thousands of prospectors onto Wangkathaa land, causing sporadic fighting.
Plains Conflicts
From the 1830s British settlements spread rapidly through inland Eastern Australia, leading to
widespread conflict. Fighting took place across the Liverpool Plains, with 16 British and up to 500 indigenous
Australians being killed between 1832 and 1838. Further fighting took place in the New England region during
the early 1840’s, with fighting also taking place in Victoria after it was settled by British in 1834. A clash at
Benalla, in 1838, marked the beginning of frontier conflict in the colony which lasted for fifteen years. Large
numbers of British settlers arrived in Victoria during the 1840’s, and rapidly outnumbered the indigenous
population and by the late 1840’s frontier conflict had been limited to the Wimmera and Gippsland.
Considerable fighting also took place in South Australia between 1839 and 1841. The frontier wars on the
Eastern Australian plains were particularly bitter in South-East and Central Queensland. British settlers reached
the Darling Downs in 1840, leading to widespread fighting and heavy loss of life. The conflict later spread
north to the Wide Bay -Hervey Bay region and at one stage the settlement of Maryborough was virtually under
siege.
West & Northern Queensland and North West Australia
In the 1870’s most conflicts took place in Western and North Queensland and North Western Australia.
Raids conducted by the Kalkadoon kept settlers out of Western Queensland for ten years, until September 1884
when they attacked a force of settlers and native police at Battle Mountain, near modern Cloncurry and suffered
heavy losses. Fighting continued in North Queensland, however, with indigenous raiders attacking sheep and
cattle while native police mounted punitive expeditions. Overall, the fighting in North Queensland was the
most significant of the frontier wars, with indigenous warriors killing at least 470 settlers and native police and
at least 4,000 indigenous people being killed. Continued European expansion in Western Australia led to further
frontier conflict, Banuba raiders also attacked European settlements during the 1890’s until their leader was
killed in 1897. Sporadic conflict continued in Northern Western Australia until the 1920’s.
Carbines for Australia
It is known that the New South Wales Mounted Police were armed with Paget carbines, which
were requested to be Ordnance pattern and a surviving example is 0.65 calibre with a 16in barrel and
is an Ordnance carbine. New South Wales, Queensland, Victorian and Western Australian Colonial
Governments purchased quantities of P44 Yeomanry carbines for police use. Surviving examples
show that these were the Ordnance proved standard Yeomanry pattern.
In the 1840’s The Colonial mounted police in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and
Western Australia were issued with the Ordnance pattern 1840 Constabulary carbine, with a Pattern
42 lock, later with a Pattern 53 lock dated 1855. These carbines were later replaced in 1861/1862 by
private Calisher & Terry carbines. The New South Wales Armoury Police and police forces in Victoria
and Queensland also carried the handy and reliable Terry carbine, and a few were issued to the NSW
Volunteer Mounted Rifles. New South Wales Permanent Artillery were issued with the 1872
Alexander Henry carbine with a 26¼ in barrel. NSW Mounted Police carried the Alexander Henry
1st model cavalry carbine with a 20in barrel. Volunteer Cavalry units in Victoria and mounted forces
& police South Australia carried the Westley Richards, ‘Monkey Tail’ carbine.
In 1864 a rare and little know capping breech loading carbine based on the Wilson patent
(1859) and made by R&W Aston for Herbert & Co London, was issued to the Tasmanian Volunteers
and later the Tasmanian Territorial Police. This was 52 bore (0.45in), with brass mounts. An iron
mounted version was privately purchased and also used by volunteers. This was retailed by H.
Challener, Sydney and the lockplate carried a crown with various dates.
Isaac Hollis & Sons of London supplied Enfield style Artillery carbines (pattern 1858) to
Australia, and Cavalry carbines of the Enfield P56 type (0.577in, 3 groove rifling), to the New South
Wales Artillery. Later Ordnance and contract Artillery carbines were issued. An Enfield style short
carbine was issued to the Melbourne Bank guards. This was made by Wilkinson of London and had
brass mounts.
A non Ordnance Snider cavalry carbine was issued to the Sydney Light Horse (later the Sidney
Lancers in 1885), this was dated 1882 on the lock.
Ordnance Martini Henry artillery and cavalry carbines were issued to the New South Wales
cavalry. These were later handed over to the police together with Artillery carbines from the NSW
Artillery.
NEW ZEALAND CONFLICTS
The New Zealand Wars, sometimes called the Land Wars and also once called the Māori Wars, were
a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1872. The wars were fought over
a number of issues, the most prominent concerning Māori land being sold to the settler population.
The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840, guaranteed that individual Māori iwi (tribes or clans) should
have undisturbed possession of their lands, forests, fisheries and other taonga (treasures) in return for becoming
British subjects. The majority of Māori were keen to sign to consolidate the peace that had reigned for 5 years
since the end of the long inter-tribal Musket Wars. (The Musket Wars were a series of five hundred or more
battles fought between various tribal chiefs and their
followers between 1807 and 1839).The first skirmish of
the New Zealand Wars was the 1843 Wairau Affray, at the
north end of the South Island. It was an isolated incident
caused by the Nelson settlers trying to seize land owned
by a Rangatira Warrior Chief. This rash vigilante action
lead to 22 settlers being killed.
The Flagstaff War took place in the far north of
New Zealand, around the Bay of Islands, in March 1845
and January 1846. This was about mana (tribal prestige)
and customs duties. It was really a war between rival Māori
chiefs, with the British fighting on one side for the prestige
of the British Empire. This was followed almost
immediately by the Hutt Valley Campaign, in March to
August 1846 and the Wanganui Campaign, April to July
1847, in the south-west of the North Island. Both these
conflicts were about the encroachment of the European
settlers on Māori land.
In the first three wars, the Māori proved to be
resourceful and competent opponents but they had no wish
to beat the British settlers or to drive them from New
Zealand. From the engagements emerged an understanding,
English law would prevail in the townships and settlements
and Māori law and customs elsewhere. With this agreement
there followed a period of relative peace and economic
co-operation from 1848 to 1860.
During this time European settlement accelerated
and by about 1859, the number of non Māori came to equal
Wanganui Militiamen c1865
the number of Māori, at around 60,000 each. By now, the
settlers had largely forgotten the painful lessons of the earlier conflicts. They tried to use military might to push
through a very dubious land sale that one of their own courts later repudiated. The result was the First Taranaki
War where, once again, the local British forces were more than evenly matched by the Māori tribes and after
12 months both sides were happy to settle for a draw.
However, the British settlers were not prepared to countenance Māori controlling and ruling most of
the North Island. War broke out again in 1863 with the Invasion of the Waikato. The Waikato War, including
the Tauranga Campaign, was the biggest of all the New Zealand Wars. The colonial side mustered some 18,000
men, with a peak deployment of possibly 14,000. Opposing them were 4,000 to 5,000 Māori, of whom only
about half were actively involved at any one time. The outcome was the major confiscation of Māori land,
which quickly provoked the Second Taranaki War. By the mid 1860s, the conflict had forced the closing of all
the native schools.
The last major conflicts were Te Kooti's War and Titokowaru's War. These were fought at the same
time but were not related to each other and should be considered separate conflicts. These virtually ended the
major, violent conflicts between the new colonial government and the original occupants of the land.
Carbines for New Zealand
Musket bore 20” barrel, Paget carbines were used by British mounted police in New South Wales.
These Mounted Armed Police, established in 1825, were issued with musket bore carbines, which, from
surviving examples, are Paget style. These Police accompanied Captain William Hobson at the signing of the
Teary of Waitangi in 1840. These Paget style carbines were also used by New Zealand’s first Mounted Armed
Constabulary.
The Pattern 1844 Yeomanry carbine (Ordnance issue) was used by New Zealand Mounted Provincial
Armed Police and in particular, Victorian Police recruited for gold field law enforcement in Otago and
Canterbury. The Pattern 1844 was later replaced with P56 Enfield carbines.
In 1858 New Zealand purchased 120 pattern 1840 Constabulary carbines, with bayonets, with a 24in
barrel of 17 bore. These were mainly for the Auckland Provincial Foot Police.
British troops stationed in New Zealand in 1858 were re-armed with P53 Enfield long and short rifles
and carbines. The Constabulary in New Zealand were quickly convinced of the P56 Enfield carbine’s superiority
over their earlier Lovell Pattern 1844 smooth bore carbines that they requested a version with a more robust
fixed V sight. These carbines were similar to the Ordnance P56 cavalry carbine. In 1859 a special New Zealand
Constabulary carbine was ordered modelled on the P53 Enfield Artillery Carbine, this also had a fixed block
back sight and was without a bayonet bar, as it was thought a bayonet and sophisticated long range sights were
not necessary for police work.
Many Calisher & Terry carbines of private manufacture were used in the New Zealand wars 1860-1872.
In 1863 a Terry patent 30 bore carbine cost £9, including sling and bullet mould. Settlers were encouraged to
buy their own guns. New Zealand Colonial Return of Arms shows Terry carbines, in store or issued, 2 in 1861,
1736 in 1869 and 299 in 1879. These don’t include The New Zealand Provincial Armed Police or private
purchases. It is estimated about 3,500-4000 Terry carbines (mostly made by C&T) were used in New Zealand,
privately owned by settlers and issued by some Provincial Governments and by the New Zealand Colonial
Government.
The Birmingham and Midlands Trade Directory of 1861 mentions both Westley Richards ‘Monkey
Tail’ carbines and Terry patent carbines supplied to New Zealand for mounted Police use. Surviving examples
show that the Westley Richards carbines are a non Ordnance pattern. Auckland and Nelson Provincial Armed
Police are known to have adopted a limited number of Westley Richards carbines in 1861.
Snider carbines Mk II**converted from P61 cavalry carbines were issued from 1867 to 1869 in New
Zealand. These were probably Ordnance proved and can be identified by the ram rod channel in the forestock
having been plugged with a dowel. In 1872, 500 three quarter stocked 2 band Snider carbines, Mk 3, for Foot
and Mounted Armed Constabulary were privately manufactured by Tisdalls of Birmingham, some with saddle
bar and ring, others had this removed. Tisdalls later moved their business to New Zealand.
In 1878, 400 Snider Mk 3 artillery carbines were purchased from C G Bonehill, Birmingham, with a
further 2100 in 1880. These were supplied without sword bayonet and with leather sight covers, for use by
some New Zealand Foot Police.
May 1898 Members of the New Zealand Police with the arrested five Rebel leaders from left to right
Romana te Paehangi, Hone Mete, Hone Toia (standing), Wiremu Makara, and Rekini Pehi. Police are armed
with .577” calibre Snider Enfield Foot Constabulary Carbines without bayonets and .450” calibre six shot
revolvers (Image courtesy of the New Zealand Police Museum)
Mounted Armed Constabulary Constable,
Trooper Duncan McGregor of the Alexandra
taken in Taranaki (on the West Coast of North
Cavalry Volunteers, Wanganui area in the
Island, New Zealand), circa 1870-72 holding a
1870’s, shown armed with a Calisher & Terry
Snider MKII** Cavalry Carbine.
carbine.
Photos by courtesy of the Alexander Turnbull Library, New Zealand
A Paget style carbine pattern 1827 issued to the New
Zealand Constabulary. Note that this carbine has a 20in
barrel and is musket bore. The Ordnance Paget has a 16in
barrel and is carbine bore with a single ramrod pipe
Westley Richards Monkey Tail capping breech loading
carbine. Lockplate marked "WESTLEY RICHARDS &
CO" and dated 1883. Barrel marked "WHITWORTH
PATENT". Stock branded "OVS" for the Orange Free
State. Action numbered 18957, Sighted to 800 yds.
Calibre: .450/.483 (major/minor axis); Barrel 25.24in
Length: 41.25in. Birmingham private proof marks.
A Snider Mk III cavalry carbine with a saddle bar and ring fitted to steel side nail
cups. The Ordnance lock plate is engraved with a “crown” over “VR” and “1870”
over “Enfield”. The stock is finely manufactured probably by a contractor, believed
to be WH Tisdall as along with the Birmingham proof and inspection marks is a
tiny “WHT” stamp. The trigger guard tang is stamped with “NZ13” an early style of
Colonial New Zealand Store Keepers register mark used around the 1870’s.