Superb 'War Of The Roses' Period, 15th Century, Rose Head Archers Ring. ‘Draw Archers, Draw Your Arrows to the Head!’ Richard IIIrd, By Shakespeare, Before the Battle of Bosworth. Embellished with Numerous English Royal Rose Heads Across The Entire Ring

What a fabulous piece of history!.

Bronze thumb ring with numerous relief cast royal rose head designs upon the whole surface. Overall in very nice condition, with very fine natural age patina, and, remarkably, a good wearable size.

Archers used thumb rings during the Wars of the Roses (15th Century England), primarily for the powerful English longbow, protecting the thumb from the bowstring. Many of the bowmen wore iron sallet helmets, and identifying noble or royal crests, such as boars heads for King Richard, plus, royal rose heads symbols, that were stitched upon their tunics or tabards, either white for Yorkists, or red for Lancastrians.

Richard III was one of the kings who recognised the value of the archer; Shakespeare makes him say, just prior to the Battle of Bosworth: ‘Draw archers, draw your arrows to the head!’ There are also records telling that Richard sent a body of 1,000 archers to France to aid the Duke of Brittany. Henry VII also provided anti-crossbow legislation and sent large levies of English archers to fight for the Duke of Brittany. During this entire period English longbowmen served in many parts of the then-known world.

A stunning condition cast bronze archer's ring embellished with the roses of the royal houses of either York, or Lancaster. The rose was the symbol of divinity and royalty. With stylized multiple 15th century rose symbols in bronze, across the entire shank, it is near impossible to decide with royal side it was from.

However, this ring may well be more likely the Yorkist rose, for a Yorkist archer, due to another near identical example we had thirty years ago. It was special and identifiable enough to be easily memorable, and near identical to this one, that was recovered just around Anbion Hill around 200 years ago.

Ambion Hill is a significant historical landmark in Leicestershire, England, famous as the former site of Richard III's camp before the pivotal Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, though the battle's core is now known to be nearby. It's home to the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre and features memorials, including a sundial marking a traditional water source for Richard III, and marks the location of the deserted medieval village of Anebein.


The name of the Wars of the Roses comes from emblems used by the warring parties. It is often attributed to Walter Scott who referred to ‘the wars of the White and Red Roses’ in a novel written in 1829 (Anne of Geierstein). However, the idea of a conflict involving roses started in the fifteenth century. One ballad called Edward IV the ‘the Rose of Rouen’ and, shortly after he became king, a painting was made in which members of the royal family, fighting each other, grew out of stylised red, white and gold roses.

In the Middle Ages, roses were considered the pre-eminent flower of the plant kingdom and so they were common symbols of divinity and royalty. The white rose was one of the emblems often used by the House of York. The red rose was perhaps used by Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, before 1485 and maybe by earlier members of the House of Lancaster, although firm evience is lacking.

The Tudor Rose
After marrying Elizabeth of York, Henry VII combined the two roses to form the Tudor Rose to symbolise the peace which he claimed his reign had brought to England. Public pageants and poetry publicised this message and Shakespeare made it famous in his ‘history plays’. The plays of his second tetrarchy are full of metaphors of England as a garden that is not being properly looked after during the conflict between kings. Richard II is called a ‘fair rose’, Henry IV ‘this thorn, this canker’. The origin of Walter Scott’s title is probably the scene in Henry VI Pt 1 in which the Dukes of York and Somerset invite their supporters to pick white or red roses to declare their allegiances. The theme is picked up again in Henry VI Pts 2 and 3 and Henry Tudor’s final speech in Richard III promises:

We will unite the white rose and the red./ Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction,/ That long have frown’d upon their enmity!

A Latin poem, written down in 1486 is perhaps the earliest evidence of the ideas that led to the Tudor rose. It refers to Richard III’s emblem of the white boar and ends with the words,

the tusks of the Boar were blunted and the red rose, the avenger of the white, shines up on us.



Though traditional English archers often used three fingers (Mediterranean draw) or finger tabs, while thumb rings were more common in Eastern archery (Turkish/Mughal styles), but finds like a bronze thumb ring from Agincourt (1415) prove their use by English archers, especially in large-scale battles, offering a smooth release for powerful bows, despite debate on their universal use in England.
The main purpose was to shield the thumb from the abrasion and injury caused by the bowstring (often waxed hemp or linen) when releasing the arrow, especially with heavy longbows.
A well-made ring, particularly those with a smooth, rounded edge, allowed the string to "slip" off the thumb cleanly, enabling a faster, more consistent release than fingers alone, notes this YouTube video.
In the Wars of the Roses English archers famously used the longbow

While common in Asian and Middle Eastern archery (Mughal, Turkish), their presence in Europe shows cultural exchange or independent adoption for powerful bows, says the Victoria and Albert Museum, which houses both such Mughal rings and British.

The rings could be made from various materials, including bronze, bone, horn, or even stone (like the diorite ring found in Meroë), depending on origin and period, explains National Museums Liverpool.
In summary, thumb rings were a tool for medieval archers, including those fighting in the Wars of the Roses, to enhance comfort and performance with powerful bows  read more

Code: 26086

A Superb Original Set Of Beautifully Leather Bound, Famous Historical Accounts Of The Crimean War By Kinglake, Alexander William. The Invasion of the Crimea: Its Origin, and an Account of its Progress to the Death of Lord Raglan. Including Ist Editions

A full set of these fabulously bound novels that were published and printed over 25 years First editions of volumes V-VIII, together with the second edition of volume IV and third editions of volumes I-III (published the same year as the first).

One of the great Winston Churchill's, favourite writers

During the past 60 years they have passed through three famed collections, of; Richard Hugh Cholmondly, Llewelyn Griffiths and Leonard Shuter

Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1863-87

Kinglake was in the Crimea in 1854, "witnessed the battle of the Alma from close hand, dined that night with Lord Raglan... helped the wounded, sketched and recorded the scenes in his diary. Kinglake rode with the allies towards Sevastopol and watched them take up siege positions on upland to the south. From there, he saw the charges of the Heavy and Light Brigades on 25 October near Balaklava, though soon afterwards he was invalided back to England" (ODNB). Entrusted with the task of writing a history of the campaign by Lord Raglan's widow who had sent him all the papers in her possession, he "undertook the task, and executed it with extraordinary care... he consulted French, Russian, and Turkish sources, and corresponded and interviewed exhaustively. He returned to the Crimea, hosted by the Russian engineer Todleben, who had so ably defended Sevastopol" (ibid.). The result was probably excessive, and most certainly somewhat prejudiced, out of loyalty to Raglan and "moral indignation" against Napoleon III. However, the "the literary ability in any case is remarkable; the spirit of the writing is never quenched by the masses of diplomatic and military information; the occasional portraits of remarkable men are admirably incisive; the style is invariably polished to the last degree, and the narrative as lucid as it is animated" (ibid.).

Kinglake was one of Churchill's favourite writers. The novelist and historian Geoffrey Bocca tells how, when he asked the Great Man who he should read to improve his style, he was given the one word reply, "Kinglake". He followed his advice and "read Eothen with joy and with love possessed, and put it down saying, 'Thanks, Winnie.' I knew one of Winston Churchill's unpublished secrets." Meeting Churchill again a couple of years later, Bocca reminded him of their earlier conversation, "told him how much I felt enriched by Eothen and asked him to recommend other reading." The succinct reply: "More Kinglake".  read more

Code: 25985

Please View & Explore Probably The Largest Selection Of Original Antique & Historical Samurai Arms From The Past 800 Years For Sale in The World. Including, Swords, Spears, Armour, Helmets, Long Bows, Arrows, Daggers & Sword Fittings

Our amazing collection of recently acquired fine antique swords have been, and some are to be, added to our gallery. Including a fabulous, Shinto, Tokugawa tachi presented to a visiting famous American admiral and war hero in 1896, another tachi, a representation of an Odachi great sword, made by Yoshiyuki, in the late Edo period, by a smith of such esteem that even when the samurai class were effectively made redundant, and relegated to history, swords were still commissioned from him, for presentation to esteemed persons of highest standing. Plus numerous other samurai swords are being added to the gallery soon, of all types and eras, also samurai war arrows ‘ tagari ya’ and rare swallow tail 'ageha ya’, a dozen ‘kazuya’ ya target arrows, plus a superb collection of 20 fabulous Koto to Shinto tsubas, have still yet to be collated and listed on our site. Plus, more swords, just added this month, both antique and WW2 ancestral shingunto etc. including one of the best we have seen in years.

“Weaponry both ancient and vintage, they all have style and a story to tell”

"Over the past 55 years I have personally supervised our company's determination to try provide the most historically interesting, educational, yet none too intimidating, gallery of original Japanese Samurai artefacts for sale in the collecting world. We were told a few years ago by Victor Harris { Japanese sword expert resident consultant at the British Museum, the UK's leading nihonto specialist} that we probably display the largest selection of original, fine samurai sword weaponry for sale, and of its kind, anywhere in the world.

Principally concentrating on a crucial combination of age, beauty, quality and history, & thanks to an extensive contact base, built up over the past 100 years or more, that stretches across the whole world, including collectors, curators, academics and consultants, we have been very fortunate, in that this effort has rewarded us with the ability to offer, what we believe to be, the most comprehensive selection of original ancient and antique samurai swords available for sale in one gallery or online in the world. Many appear today to look almost as they once did many hundreds of years ago, which remarkably, they do, but all antique and ancient swords, from any culture, including Japanese, must always be expected to have at least some age appropriate flaws.

We have exported, over the past 100 years, likely tens of thousands of our original samurai weapons, helmets and armour to the four corners of the globe, with clients on all continents. Our swords grace the homes of collectors from literally all walks of life, from Presidents to Postmen, and we have traded with museums of all the major nations. We have always loved and been fascinated by the history of the Samurai, and their iconic weaponry, and we have long admired and envied their past near limitless skill at creating the unparalleled beauty and quality of samurai swords. Universally acknowledged to be likely the very best swords the world has ever seen.

Our Japanese weaponry vary tremendously in age, in fact up to, and sometimes over, an incredible 800 years old, and they are frequently some of the finest examples of specialist workmanship ever achieved by mankind.
We have tried to include, within the holistic description of most items, a brief generic history lesson, for those that have interest, and may wish to know, that will describe the eras, areas and circumstances that these items were used in ancient Japan. We have tried our utmost to be informative, holistic and as interesting as possible without being too academically technical, in order to keep the details vibrant, fascinating and comprehensible, thus not too complex.
We are always delighted to impart any knowledge that we have at our disposal to any curious new collectors when asked. In fact some of the most learned scholars in the world that we have met, and known, some studying the art of nihonto almost all of their adult lives, often admitted to us they were only scratching the surface of the knowledge to be learnt in this extraordinary field, so there is much to constantly uncover about the stories of the samurai and their legendary weaponry covering around 1000 years of Japanese history.

Please enjoy, with our compliments, our Japanese Gallery. It has been decades in the creation, and we intend it to remain as interesting and informative as possible, and, hopefully, for another century to come"..


Mark Hawkins
Partner
The Lanes Armoury

Did you know? the most valuable sword in the world today is a samurai sword, it belongs to an investment fund and has appeared illustrated in the Forbes 400 magazine. It is valued by them at $100 million, it is a tachi from the late Koto period 16th century and unsigned. Its blade is grey and now has no original polish remaining.  read more

Code: 22187

A Near Mint Condition Ordnance Issue British Army No7 Mk1 Bayonet by Elkington & Co Ltd of Birmingham. Designed and Made From 1944 For The No4 Enfield and Sten MkV Sub Machine Gun

As good example as you will ever see, and absolutely unbeatable.

Made by Elkington, and the scabbard, by scabbard contractor, G.G.Wade of 37 London Road Bromley

The No7 bayonet. The No7 was designed in 1944 for use with both the No4 rifle and the Sten MkV. Up until this point the No4 had been issued with a spike bayonet, which no one liked, and a way was sought to combine the socket attachment used to attach the bayonet to the No4 with the Bowie style blade used on the jungle carbine bayonet, which was universally liked. The resulting bayonet was a complicated, but very elegant blade. The pommel of the handle was designed to swivel through 180 degrees to allow the bayonet to be affixed to a weapon or used as a fighting knife, a sprung bar holds the swivelling portion firmly in place. Pulling it back and twisting the base reveals the socket connector. Which then attaches to the No4 rifle in a conventional style. A large muzzle ring is designed to allow rounds to pass safely through. These were made to the same design as that on the Jungle Carbine, not to fit that weapon, but because the part was available and it ensured that even with worn out barrels and poor ammunition, the round would clear the bayonet. This was to prove the bayonets’ downfall as it was discovered if the socket was not fully engaged, the bayonet would still fit to the rifle, but the .303 round could still hit the muzzle ring on firing. Once this was discovered the bayonet was rapidly issued only for use with the MkV Sten and for ceremonial duties by the Guards in London where it was visually far better suited than a spike bayonet.

The grips of the bayonet are made of Paxolin, a resin impregnated cloth, with four deep finger grooves to allow the bayonet to be used as a fighting knife.
The bayonet is marked ‘No 7 Mk 1/L’ on the ricasso, 176,000 of these bayonets were produced from 1944 onwards until production ceased in 1948

Birmingham Small Arms Ltd. – 25,000; Elkington & Co. Ltd. Birmingham – 20,000; Royal Ordinance Factory, Poole – 30,000; Royal Ordinance Factory, Newport – 100,000.

As can be imagined with relatively low numbers, this is a comparatively rare bayonet when compared with the wartime spike bayonet. The bayonet was issued with the standard scabbard also used on the No5 and No9 bayonets:



Original No7 bayonet to fit the MKV Sten Gun

No7 Mk1 Bayonet
No5 Mk1 metal Scabbard
A very good condition example of the short lived No 7 MK 1/L Bayonet. These bayonets were designed to be a hybrid bayonet/fighting knife, made with a swivelling pommel to fit the No 4 Rifle and MK V Sten guns. The 'L' designation signify's Land Service.

The bayonet maker marked M/78 for Elkington and Co, who only made 20,000 of this model.out of the 350,000.  read more

Code: 26085

A Victorian, Crimean War, Indian Mutiny & Zulu War Service 1831 Pattern General Officer's Sword Mamaluke With Original Near Mint Mercurial Gilt Hilt & Traditional, Brass Scabbard

With a magnificent mirror bright and frosted superbly etched and original polished blade, bearing Queen Victoria's royal cipher and VR Crown monogram, with classical acanthus and laurel leaf sprays. The sword fits very tight and sound into the scabbard, and the hilt and blade is exceptionally sound and tight as well with no movement at all.

In the gallery is a portrait of Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar holding his identical sword, and Field Marshal Sir Henry Evelyn Wood with his.

Ivory and gilt hilt of regulation generals pattern sword in the mamaluke form, with crossed sabre and field marshal’s baton quillon block

This general's sword was bespoke commissioned and thus as used in the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, and the Zulu War, by a general of the British army. Most Generals swords have the brass scabbard, that was originally designed in the Napoleonic Wars

It is near identical to the sword of General Raglan of the Charge of the Light Brigade fame in the Crimean War. General Raglan became commander of the British troops sent to the Crimea in 1854: his primary objective was to defend Constantinople, and he was also ordered to besiege the Russian port of Sevastopol. After an early success at the Battle of the Alma, a failure to deliver orders with sufficient clarity caused the fateful Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava.

Promoted to major-general in June 1854, it was his service in the Crimean War (1854-56) that brought him to public attention and finally made his reputation.

This sword is also just as used by General Colin Campbell, in both the Crimean war and the Indian Mutiny. He commanded the Highland Brigade with notable success at the Battle of the Alma (1854). And at Balaklava (1854), his 'thin red line' of Highlanders repulsed the Russian cavalry assault.

Later in the campaign, Campbell took over command of the 1st Division from the Duke of Cambridge. He also did his best to improve the comfort of his men during the bitter Crimean winter. He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Bath in July 1855. Campbell's concern for his men and his prudent desire to keep casualties to a minimum meant that he was much loved by his soldiers. Throughout his career he always stressed the importance of their physical conditioning and mental well-being. When news of the Indian Mutiny (1857-59) reached England in July 1857, the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, offered Campbell the position of Commander-in-Chief of India in place of General George Anson, who had just died. He left the following day, arriving in Calcutta in August. Having organised his troops and cleared Lower Bengal of mutineers, Campbell advanced on 9 November with 4,500 men to relieve the besieged garrison at Lucknow. After defeating Tantya Tope at Cawnpore in December 1857, Campbell returned to Lucknow the following March for the final capture of the city.

He attacked in set-piece fashion, moving forward from position to position, after his engineers had constructed bridges across the Gumti River. La Martiniere was captured on 9 March and two days later the Secundra Bagh and the Shah Najaf mosque fell.

The Begum Kothi palace complex was a tougher nut to crack. Severe hand-to-hand fighting led to over 700 rebel deaths. Over the next three days, Campbell's gunners blasted their way through the buildings between the Begum Kothi and the rebel posts in the Kaisar Bagh - the Nawab of Oudh's palace - which was captured on 14 March.

Another general to use a sword exactly as this was Lieutenant-General Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet GCB, KCSI (29 January 1803 – 11 March 1863) was a British general who fought in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

And yet another famous British general, that also used another just as this fine sword, was Lieutenant-General Frederick Augustus Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford KCB in the Zulu War . Who lost his reputation due to the massacre at Isandlwana, but regained it due to his success at Ulundi. See photo 10 in the gallery of General Thesiger, Baron Chelsford.

Excellent condition hilt, with near all its original mercurial gilt remaining, and fine carved ivory grip plates. It is finely engraved throughout with the traditional cast langets of a wreathed crossed sabre and field marshal’s baton, depicting the rank of general.

This beautiful, antique, historical sword has just returned from several hours of artisan hand cleaning and polishing revealing its true beauty once more

The Mamaluke pattern British Army General's sword evolved from the swords captured at the Battle of The Nile and were brought back as war trophies by Admiral Lord Nelson. These beautiful ivory hilted swords so impressed The Duke of Wellington, and his senior officers, they were worn and adopted for wear during the Napoleonic Wars. There are several portraits of Wellington and his Generals in full uniform and adorned with such swords. The pattern was formally adopted by the British Crown as The Generals pattern in 1831, although a General could choose to wear the 1822 type, the Gothic Hilted sword. This sword is from the era from the Indian Mutiny, the Crimean War, the Zulu War and The Egypt Campaign. A beautifully etched blade with full General's symbol of crossed Baton and Sabre and Queen Victoria's cypher Crown VR.
The scabbard bears a few small combat service dents, and one small part of one single ivory panel is damaged underneath the general's sword knot. {not normally that visible}. The blade is spectacularly mint and stunningly beautiful. we are looking into seeing if we can have the ivory split restored. The formality of the usual Ivory restriction exception applied for. All UK domestic sales are unaffected, not suitable to export

THE LANES ARMOURY, THE PREMIER HOME OF ORIGINAL AND AFFORDABLE ANCIENT ANTIQUITIES , MILITARY ARMOURY ANTIQUES & COLLECTABLES IN BRITAIN  read more

Code: 26083

A Superb WW1 Imperial German Trench Knife Nahkampfmesser Gotlieb of Hammesfahr. Made By “Gottlieb Hammesfahr, Solingen-Foche" Blade Reverse Bears a Small Crowned Inspection Stamp. Souvenir From The Battle of The Somme

The hilt is fitted with ribbed {9 ribs} wooden grips, secured by steel rivets, with a steel crossguard. slightly rounded flat steel scabbard with rivietted leather belt frog and retaining button to the small grip strap. Single edged blackened steel blade with small return false edge at the tip. Maker marked and with imperial proof stamp.

Acquired with two officer's deluxe versions also from the Somme {sold separately}

Fine old blackened finish to all metal parts.

The German WW1 trench knife, or Nahkampfmesser, was a sturdy, general-purpose combat dagger issued to soldiers for close-quarters fighting, featuring typical slab wooden grips with grooves, a steel crossguard, and a metal scabbard with a leather hanger, though variations existed, including officer's daggers and converted barbed wire stakes, with manufacturers like Ernst Busch, Gotlieb and Clemen & Jung producing them.
Often single-edged with a false edge, around 6 inches long, though double-edged versions were also used. Typically wooden with distinctive diagonal grooves (often nine) for better purchase, secured by rivets.
A simple steel crossguard and pommel, providing balance and hand protection.
A flat, or rounded steel scabbard with a leather frog (hanger) for belt attachment, sometimes with a press stud.
Solingen-based companies like Ernst Busch and Clemen & Jung were major producers, Gotlieb a much rare maker, often marked with their names and an Imperial Crown.
The most functional type was a robust, utilitarian knife for infantry.
However, Officer's daggers were more elaborate, privately purchased versions, with staghorn or deerhoof grips, nickel fittings
Soldiers sometimes adapted steel barbed-wire stakes into crude stabbing weapons after encountering French "nail" grenades.
These knives filled the need for a reliable hand weapon in the brutal close-quarters combat of trench raiding, where reloading a rifle was difficult, alongside tools like trench clubs and entrenching tools

Traces to old, light, surface russetting on the blade.

Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising military trenches, in which combatants are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery. It became archetypically associated with World War I (1914–1918), when the Race to the Sea rapidly expanded trench use on the Western Front starting in September 1914.1

Trench warfare proliferated when a revolution in firepower was not matched by similar advances in mobility, resulting in a grueling form of warfare in which the defender held the advantage. On the Western Front in 1914–1918, both sides constructed elaborate trench, underground, and dugout systems opposing each other along a front, protected from assault by barbed wire. The area between opposing trench lines (known as "no man's land") was fully exposed to artillery fire from both sides. Attacks, even if successful, often sustained severe casualties.

The development of armoured warfare and combined arms tactics permitted static lines to be bypassed and defeated, leading to the decline of trench warfare after the war. Following World War I, "trench warfare" became a byword for stalemate, attrition, sieges, and futility in conflict  read more

Code: 26078

A Superb WW1 Imperial German Deluxe Officer's Deerhoof Trench Knife Nahkampfmesser Aciers Superfin. Blade Also Bears Small Crowned Inspection Stamp. Souvenir From The Battle of The Somme

"Aciers Superfin" (Superfine Steels) suggests good quality, possibly a brand name or descriptive mark, often associated with German manufacturers like W. Clauberg in Solingen,

Acquired, two officer's deluxe versions and an other ranks standard type from the Somme {sold separately}

We show original photographs of them being worn in combat, and an advertisement for them, stating "The Best Form of Defence In Close Quarter Combat"

The German WW1 standard trench knife, or Nahkampfmesser, was a sturdy, general-purpose combat dagger issued to soldiers for close-quarters fighting, featuring typical slab wooden grips with grooves, a steel crossguard, and a metal scabbard with a leather hanger, though variations existed, including officer's daggers and converted barbed wire stakes, with manufacturers like Ernst Busch, Gotlieb and Clemen & Jung producing them.
Often single-edged with a false edge, around 6 inches long, though double-edged versions were also used. Typically wooden with distinctive diagonal grooves (often nine) for better purchase, secured by rivets.
This rare type, the deluxe officer's version has a deerhoof hilt, S quillon crossguard, and blackened wood and leatherette scabbard

Solingen-based companies like Ernst Busch and Clemen & Jung were major producers, Gotlieb a much rare maker, often marked with their names and an Imperial Crown.
The most functional type was a robust, utilitarian knife for infantry.
However, Officer's daggers were more elaborate, privately purchased versions, with staghorn or deerhoof grips, nickel fittings
Soldiers sometimes adapted steel barbed-wire stakes into crude stabbing weapons after encountering French "nail" grenades.
These knives filled the need for a reliable hand weapon in the brutal close-quarters combat of trench raiding, where reloading a rifle was difficult, alongside tools like trench clubs and entrenching tools

Traces of old, light, surface russetting on the blade.

Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising military trenches, in which combatants are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery. It became archetypically associated with World War I (1914–1918), when the Race to the Sea rapidly expanded trench use on the Western Front starting in September 1914.1

Trench warfare proliferated when a revolution in firepower was not matched by similar advances in mobility, resulting in a grueling form of warfare in which the defender held the advantage. On the Western Front in 1914–1918, both sides constructed elaborate trench, underground, and dugout systems opposing each other along a front, protected from assault by barbed wire. The area between opposing trench lines (known as "no man's land") was fully exposed to artillery fire from both sides. Attacks, even if successful, often sustained severe casualties.

The development of armoured warfare and combined arms tactics permitted static lines to be bypassed and defeated, leading to the decline of trench warfare after the war. Following World War I, "trench warfare" became a byword for stalemate, attrition, sieges, and futility in conflict  read more

Code: 26082

Excellent Pre-Contact Example of a Stone Leilira Knife from Central or Northern Australia. A First Nations' Cultural Object

The handle made of Spinifex Resin (plant) and the quartz blade shaped by chipping and shaping with a harder stone. The term Leilira was first coined by Spencer and Gillen circa 1899, and is currently the archaeological term used to describe large blades produced in northern and central Australia."--------2006, Kevin Tibbett, "When East Is Northwest: Expanding The Archaeological Boundary For Leilira Blade Production," Australian Archaeology, p. 26.
"Spencer and Gillian (1899, 1904) coined the term lalira or leilira blades (from the Arrernte alyweke (indigenous Australians), or stone knife)
Ethnographically, these were men's fighting knives and were also mythologically and symbolically linked with subincision On occasions they were used for other purposes such as ritualised fighting, initiation ceremonies etc

The term 'Leilira blade' refers to very long flaked blades made in central and northern Australia that are triangular or trapezoidal in cross section. They are made by 'flaking' - removing a small piece of rock from a large piece, called a core, by striking it with a hammerstone. The core is usually held in the hand or rested in the person's lap or on the ground. Often one or both edges of the blade are retouched to create a dentated or notched edge or a rounded end.

Leilira blades are usually made from quartzite, a hard metamorphic rock that varies in colour from white to dark grey, but slate and other stones are also used. All of the blades shown are quartzite. The middle blade and the one on the far right were made from quartzite extracted from Ngillipidji stone quarry on Elcho Island, a major quarry in the region. Stone from Ngillipdiji quarry and finished blades made from the quarried stone were traded over long distances.

The has a handle or grip made from resin. The resin was heated and moulded around the unpointed end of the blade; when it cooled, it dried hard. paperbark, tied on with string. The plant-fibre scabbard may be pandanus paperleaf or bark.

Many First Nations' cultural objects were collected during the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land in 1948.

Indigenous Australian's were manufacturing stone tools for more than 40,000 years. The flaked stone tools they left behind are very simple. In fact, most of their hafted knives, spears and fighting picks were made from simple core struck blades that have little or no further modification. Bifacial flaking in Australia is rare compared to other regions of the world. The best examples are reported as large hand axe-like bifaces and small bifacially flaked points. Bifacial reduction is also reported in the manufacture of some ground stone axes. Australia's most famous bifacially flaked artifact is the more recent Kimberly point. The most famous blade knife is the resin hafted leilira knife.  read more

Code: 25140

Original 18th Century Scottish Fencible Regimental Basket Hilted Broadsword

With distinctive two part centrally welded basket, in sheet iron, with scrolls and thistles there over. Interesting original regimental swords of the 18th century, from Scottish regiments are very much sought after throughout the entire world. Scottish Fencible Regiment's swords are now jolly rare indeed, and they are highly distinctive in their most unique form. Fancy carved replacement grip. Some ironwork separation on the basket by the forte of the blade, but overall in good sound condition. Overall natural age surface pitting. Made for the war with Revolutionary France in the 1790's. The total number of British fencible infantry regiments raised during the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence was nine, of which six were Scottish, two were English and one was Manx. The regiments were raised during a time of great turbulence in Europe when there was a real fear that the French would either invade Great Britain or Ireland, or that radicals within Britain and Ireland would rebel against the established order. There was little to do in Britain other than garrison duties and some police actions, but in Ireland there was a French supported insurrection in 1798 and British fencible regiments were engaged in some pitched battles. Some regiments served outside Great Britain and Ireland. Several regiments performed garrison duties on the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. A detachment of the Dumbarton Fencibles Regiment escorted prisoners to Prussia, and the Ancient Irish Fencibles were sent to Egypt where they took part in the operations against the French in 1801.

When it became clear that the rebellion in Ireland had been defeated and that there would be peace between France and Britain in 1802 (The preliminaries of peace were signed in London on 1 October 1801) the Fencible regiments were disbanded.
The British cavalry and light dragoon regiments were raised to serve in any part of Great Britain and consisted of a force of between 14,000 and 15,000 men. Along with the two Irish regiments, those British regiments that volunteered for service in Ireland served there. Each regiment consisted of eighteen commissioned officers and troops of eighty privates per troop. The regiments were always fully manned as their terms of service were considered favourable. At the beginning of 1800 all of the regiments were disbanded  read more

Code: 20632

A Superb Pair of WW2 German Kriegsmarine "U-boat" Fixed-Focus Binoculars. “Doppelfernrohr 7 X 50 für U-Boote ‘U-Bootglas 7X50’”

These are an original pair of German, WW2 U-Boat commanders binoculars, and for desirability simply cannot be bettered. This delightful pair are in fabulous condition, with all the rubbers and lenses in lovely condition for age, with all the usual wear as to be expected.
Third Reich WW2 period code marked. With superb fixed focusing, excellent optics and lenses, just a very little condensation misting.

Winston Churchill claimed that the 'U-boat peril' was the only thing that ever really frightened him during WWII. This was when German submarines attacked the Atlantic lifeline to try to starve Britain into submission.

In WWII the British troop ship, RMS Laconia, was sunk by a German U-boat. The U-boat captain Werner Hartenstein immediately ordered the rescue of as many survivors as possible, taking 200 people on board, with another 200 in lifeboats. Although, it is fair to say that not all U-boat commanders were quite so considerate as he was. The U-Boat 7 X 50 binocular was manufactured from 1941 – 1945 specifically for use aboard submarines and was officially designated as the “Doppelfernrohr 7 X 50 für U-Boote ‘U-Bootglas 7X50’”. They were usually made by Zeiss but a smaller number were also manufactured by Emil Busch Rathenow (wartime code “cxn”).
It had three variations. The first was made from 1941-1943, lacked rubber armour and had hinged fold-back Bakelite eyecups. The second was made probably only in 1943 and had rubber armour without fold-back eyecups. The third was made from 1943-1945 and is identical to the second except for having a larger diameter eyelens. The first type is the rarest many being lost during service use.

The build of this binocular is remarkable and unequaled by WWII hand-held binoculars, and some believe never bettered since the war either. It is a fixed focus design for maximum sealing and weatherproofing. The primary user of the binocular could, however, set the focus to his eyesight by removing the rubber armour from the prism plates to access a large focus screw at the base of each eyepiece which could be adjusted using a screwdriver.
During World War II, U-boat warfare was the major component of the Battle of the Atlantic, which lasted the duration of the war. Germany had the largest submarine fleet in World War II, since the Treaty of Versailles had limited the surface navy of Germany to six battleships (of less than 10,000 tons each), six cruisers, and 12 destroyers.

In the early stages of the war the U-boats were extremely effective in destroying Allied shipping; initially in the mid-Atlantic where a large gap in air cover existed until 1942, when the tides changed. The trade in war supplies and food across the Atlantic was extensive, which was critical for Britain's survival. This continuous action became known as the Battle of the Atlantic, as the British developed technical defences such as ASDIC and radar, and the German U-boats responded by hunting in what were called "wolfpacks" where multiple submarines would stay close together, making it easier for them to sink a specific target. Later, when the United States entered the war, the U-boats ranged from the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Arctic to the west and southern African coasts and even as far east as Penang. The U.S. military engaged in various tactics against German incursions in the Americas; these included military surveillance of foreign nations in Latin America, particularly in the Caribbean, to deter any local governments from supplying German U-boats.

Because speed and range were severely limited underwater while running on battery power, U-boats were required to spend most of their time surfaced running on diesel engines, diving only when attacked or for rare daytime torpedo strikes. The more ship-like hull design reflects the fact that these were primarily surface vessels that could submerge when necessary. This contrasts with the cylindrical profile of modern nuclear submarines, which are more hydrodynamic underwater (where they spend the majority of their time), but less stable on the surface. While U-boats were faster on the surface than submerged, the opposite is generally true of modern submarines. The most common U-boat attack during the early years of the war was conducted on the surface and at night. This period, before the Allied forces developed truly effective antisubmarine warfare tactics, which included convoys, was referred to by German submariners as "die glückliche Zeit" or "the happy time."

The neck strap has separated, the rubber armour has overall age cracking as usual, the original eye protectors have has replacement post war retaining screws. Plus usual paint loss. Bear in mind they were subjected to some years at sea, over 80 years ago, as combat service surveillance equipment, above and below deck, in some of the most unpleasant weather one can experience, yet still survive till today as fully functioning binoculars as was originally intended eight decades ago. No doubt in some part due to their original owner’s skill or good fortune {the U-Boat commander}, at avoiding being sunk by the indomitable Royal Navy ships or RAF spotter planes.  read more

Code: 25298