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.

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 1/2 to 3/4 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]

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]

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]

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.

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.