My Father passed away in 2014 and it's taken me this long to be comfortable going through his belongings and to start to clear out the cupboards. He was born in 1932 and he and my Mother always slept in separate rooms, I never really asked why, but he was a VERY loud snorer that would keep the entire house awake, I just assumed it was his snoring. So when he passed away it was easy just to close the bedroom door "till another day".
Well early last month was "the day". I new he had these two rifles but I never held them, nor ever saw him use them. They are this 1944/5 303 Mk111 and a Westly Richards 310 Cadet.
The story that he told me and was also repeated by his Brother and my Mum was that during school all the boys were in Cadets and learnt to shoot using the 310 Cadet.
When they reached senior school, year 12 (1949) they were all marched down to the range and issued with brand new 303's from the crate and still wrapped in protective paper etc. According to Dad they spent a fully day (school day) stripping and cleaning the rifles to the army standard! Imaging doing that with todays kids.
They then spent countless hours doing rifle drill and safety drill with them, being year 12 and knowing that there was a need to get out to find work after the war, young men were is short supply. he did just that and was indentured to become a Draftsman and never finished year 12.
Now this is the bit that I find amazing he was given the rifle's and continued to go to Cadets on weekend etc, when that year finished he just left and kept the rifles, he told me that he fired it twice at the range, how many round is unknown. .
So they have just sat in a cupboard since then (not sure if he ever use them from that time till I was born) But he never really talked about them, we had a .22 and a 410 "snake gun" when I was growing up but that was it.
So as we all know these stories are told all the time and I have no reason to disbelieve my Uncle or Mother, so I'll let the rifle tell its story.
The rifle is an all matching numbers rifle from 1944/5 with very little wear, I've not cleaned it as yet, it's covered in years of sticky gun oil!
The magazine with almost no wear..
https://imgur.com/l5hKgjT" rel="nofollow">
https://imgur.com/ITu87Gw" rel="nofollow">
https://imgur.com/YgHxrtH" rel="nofollow">
https://imgur.com/L9zO8ov" rel="nofollow">
https://imgur.com/fc6IvcV" rel="nofollow">
https://imgur.com/JEaisx0" rel="nofollow">
https://imgur.com/vFBJ08w" rel="nofollow">
https://imgur.com/PLGJAqR" rel="nofollow">
https://imgur.com/gAI8IWJ" rel="nofollow">
https://imgur.com/AvUsjRk" rel="nofollow">