Ist Edition of 'The Rommel Papers' Printed by Collins in 1953

The Rommel Papers is the collected writings by the German World War II field marshal Erwin Rommel published in 1953.

A good volume example of the career and tactics of one of the greatest and revered generals of the war. In fact even Winston Churchill announced his demise in parliament, as the death of a noble leader of men that was not tainted, unlike many others in Germany, by the NAZI disease and corrupt influences of the Third Reich.


The book included Rommel's writings of the war, edited by the British journalist and historian B. H. Liddell Hart, the former Wehrmacht officer Fritz Bayerlein, who served on Rommel's staff in North Africa, and Rommel's widow and son. The volume contained an introduction and commentary by Liddell Hart.

Liddell Hart had a personal interest in the work: by having coaxed Rommel's widow to include material favourable to himself, he could present Rommel as his "pupil" when it came to mobile armoured warfare.
Thus, Liddell Hart's "theory of indirect approach" became a precursor to the German blitzkrieg ("lightning war"). The controversy was described by the political scientist John Mearsheimer in his work The Weight of History, who concluded that, by "putting words in the mouths of German Generals and manipulating history", Liddell Hart was in a position to show that he had been at the root of the dramatic German successes in 1940.

The historian Mark Connelly argues that The Rommel Papers was one of the two foundational works that lead to a "Rommel renaissance" and "Anglophone rehabilitation", the other being Desmond Young's biography, Rommel: The Desert Fox. The book contributed to the perception of Rommel as a brilliant commander; in an introduction, Liddell Hart drew comparisons between Rommel and Lawrence of Arabia, "two masters of desert warfare"

In World War II, he commanded the 7th Panzer Division during the 1940 invasion of France. His leadership of German and Italian forces in the North African campaign established his reputation as one of the ablest tank commanders of the war, and earned him the nickname der Wüstenfuchs, "the Desert Fox". Among his British adversaries he had a reputation for chivalry, and his phrase "war without hate" has been uncritically used to describe the North African campaign. A number of historians have since rejected the phrase as a myth and uncovered numerous examples of German war crimes and abuses towards enemy soldiers and native populations in Africa during the conflict. Other historians note that there is no clear evidence Rommel personally was involved or aware of any of these crimes, with some pointing out that the war in the desert, as fought by Rommel and his opponents, still came as close to a clean fight as there was in World War II. He later commanded the German forces opposing the Allied cross-channel invasion of Normandy in June 1944.

With the Nazis gaining power in Germany, Rommel gradually accepted the new regime. Historians have given different accounts of the specific period and his motivations. He was a supporter of Adolf Hitler, at least until near the end of the war, if not necessarily sympathetic to the party and the paramilitary forces associated with it. In 1944, Rommel was implicated in the 20 July plot to assassinate Hitler. Because of Rommel's status as a national hero, Hitler wanted to eliminate him quietly instead of having him immediately executed, as many other plotters were. Rommel was given a choice between suicide, in return for assurances that his reputation would remain intact and that his family would not be persecuted following his death, or facing a trial that would result in his disgrace and execution; he chose the former and took a cyanide pill. Rommel was given a state funeral, and it was announced that he had succumbed to his injuries from the strafing of his staff car in Normandy.

Rommel became a larger-than-life figure in both Allied and Nazi propaganda, and in postwar popular culture. Numerous authors portray him as an apolitical, brilliant commander and a victim of Nazi Germany, although this assessment is contested by other authors as the Rommel myth. Rommel's reputation for conducting a clean war was used in the interest of the West German rearmament and reconciliation between the former enemies – the United Kingdom and the United States on one side and the new Federal Republic of Germany on the other. Several of Rommel's former subordinates, notably his chief of staff Hans Speidel, played key roles in German rearmament and integration into NATO in the postwar era. The German Army's largest military base, the Field Marshal Rommel Barracks, Augustdorf, and a third ship of Lütjens-class destroyer of the German Navy are both named in his honour. His son Manfred Rommel was the longtime mayor of Stuttgart, Germany and namesake of Stuttgart Airport.  read more

Code: 25106

21st Regiment Essex Fusiliers Large Service Helmet Flaming Grenade Badge. Circa.1887

Canadian Militia busby helmet badge. 21st Regiment Essex Fusiliers Fur Busby grenade. Circa.1887 Brass grenade with two lugs to the reverse in excellent condition.

A military presence in Windsor and Essex County dates back as far as 1701, when all men in the community were essentially militia members, armed to combat a perceived 'Indian threat'. When Irish-American Nationalists invaded Canada in 1866, even stronger forces were established locally. By 1885, local militias had amalgamated into the 21st Essex Battalion of Infantry.

By the advent of the First World War, the 21st Battalion (now known as the 21st Regiment Essex Fusiliers) was placed on active service. Initially, they contributed to Canada's 1st Battalion, upon its formation in 1914, then later the 18th Battalion (consisting largely of Essex Fusilier soldiers. The 18th Battalion served in France and Flanders from 1915 until the Armistice.

The regiment perpetuated the 18th (Western Ontario) Battalion, 99th (Essex) Battalion and 241st (Canadian Scottish Borderers) Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and held its final Order of Precedence as 40. Battle honours for the regiment include: First World War: Ypres 1915 & 17, Festubert 1915, Mount Sorrel, Somme 1916 & 18, Flers-Courcelette, Thiepval, Ancre Heights, Arras 1917 & 18, Vimy 1917, Hill 70, Passchendaele, Amiens, Scarpe 1918, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, Cambrai 1918, Pursuit to Mons, France & Flanders 1915-18 Second World War: Dieppe Raid (1942), Battle of Verrigres Ridge (1944), liberation of Dieppe (1944), Battle of the Scheldt (1944), The Rhine (1944-1945), Northwestern Europe

By 1926, an alliance was formed with the Essex Regiment of the British Army, and by 1927, the Essex Scottish had adopted the MacGregor tartan based on Scottish Highland tradition. That year an alliance was also established with the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment of the British Army.

The Regiment was the first unit of men in Western Ontario to be called up during World War II and one of the first Canadian units to see battle overseas. Their first fight was the tragic Dieppe raid on August 19th, 1942 where the Regiment was hit particularly hard during Operation Jubilee. When the smoke cleared, the Regiment had lost 121, and many of the survivors were either wounded or captured. With barely enough time to regroup, the regiment prepared itself for the invasion of France. On July 5th 1944, it participated in the bloody landing at Normandy, and then fought on through France, Holland and Germany until the war's end.

By then, the regiment had suffered 552 dead and had been inflicted with the highest number of casualties of any unit in the Canadian Army-a staggering 2,510.  read more

Code: 19898

A Rare and Very Fine WW1 German Sniper's Scharfschutzengewehr Optical Scope. Some Of The Best & Most Desirable Sniper Scopes Are 20th Century Fine German Examples Such As This

WW1 German Sniper Optical Scope, steel body scope with bracket fittings to the lower section. Top focusing mount is maker marked “Rudiger & Bischoff Braunschweig”. Remains of the blued finish. Optics remain clear. Photo in the gallery of German snipers in WW1 and a cabinet of original snipers kit, including the rifle and sniper site, in the Imperial War Museum. During World War I, snipers appeared as deadly sharpshooters in the trenches. At the start of the war, only Imperial Germany had troops that were issued scoped sniper rifles. Although sharpshooters existed on all sides, the Germans specially equipped some of their soldiers with scoped rifles that could pick off enemy soldiers showing their heads out of their trench. At first the French and British believed such hits to be coincidental hits, until the German scoped rifles were discovered. During World War I, the German army received a reputation for the deadliness and efficiency of its snipers, partly because of the high-quality lenses that German industry could manufacture.

During the First World War, the static movement of trench warfare and a need for protection from snipers created a requirement for loopholes both for discharging firearms and for observation. Often a steel plate was used with a "key hole", which had a rotating piece to cover the loophole when not in use.Imperial German Scharfschutzengewehr (Sharpshooters rifle in German) Model 1898 sniper rifle in 7.92x57 or more commonly known as 8mm Mauser. At the beginning of World War 1 no country had a "sniper program" as we know it today. Germany in 1915 outfitted the most experienced marksmen (typically pre-war game wardens and poachers) with specially selected factory rifles and equiped them with optical hunting sights. These early telescopic sights usually consisted of 2.5x, 3x and 4x power, produced by manufactures like Görtz, Gérard, Oige, Zeiss, Hensoldt, Voigtländer Rudiger & Bischoff and various civilian models from manufacturers like Bock, Busch and Füss. These rifles were standard 1898 Military Model which held exceptionaly high accuracy at the factory. They were fitted with a Model 1898AZ carbine bolt and optic and issued to an individual Soldier (Soldat) instead of a unit. Due to the very high usage of steel armor piercing ammunition the barrels were rapidly erroded and the life span for accuracy was between 1000-2500 rounds, often less, before having to be replaced. Soon the British army began to train their own snipers in specialized sniper schools. Major Hesketh Hesketh-Prichard was given formal permission to begin sniper training in 1915, and founded the First Army School of Sniping, Observation, and Scouting at Linghem in France in 1916. Starting with a first class of only six, in time he was able to lecture to large numbers of soldiers from different Allied nations, proudly proclaiming in a letter that his school was turning out snipers at three times the rate of any such other school in the world.

He also devised a metal-armoured double loophole that would protect the sniper observer from enemy fire. The front loophole was fixed, but the rear was housed in a metal shutter sliding in grooves. Only when the two loopholes were lined up—a one-to-twenty chance—could an enemy shoot between them. Another innovation was the use of a dummy head to find the location of an enemy sniper. The papier-mâché figures were painted to resemble soldiers to draw sniper fire. Some were equipped with rubber surgical tubing so the dummy could "smoke" a cigarette and thus appear realistic. Holes punched in the dummy by enemy sniper bullets then could be used for triangulation purposes to determine the position of the enemy sniper, who could then be attacked with artillery fire. He developed many of the modern techniques in sniping, including the use of spotting scopes and working in pairs, and using Kim's Game to train observational skills. An original complete Imperial German Scharfschutzengewehr (Sharpshooters rifle in German) Model 1898 GEW98 rifle, with its scope, just as this one, can now fetch over $11,000.  read more

Code: 23342

A Most Fine Tudor Heraldic Crested Steel Armour Gorget of a Duke

A most beautiful antique piece of armour, in the 16th century style, but likely made in the 18th to early 19th century. It bears a most fine etched heraldic ducal crest, composed of a pair of cranes bearing a five bar face guarded demi-profile dukes helmet, mounted above a shield with chevron below four ermine panels, with three, four lobed devices about the chevron on both sides. The entire rim bears brass headed steel rivets and two shoulder centred large brass rivets that once held leather straps. We show in the gallery several portraits of Elizabethan nobles all adorned in their armour gorget over fine tunics of velvet or leather. The gorget was the last remaining symbol of knightly armour universally worn either at court or in combat by nobles in the Elizabethan period Although other elements of armour could be worn, such as arm defences, in accompaniment as the wearer saw fit. In the High Middle Ages, when mail was the primary form of metal body armor used in Western Europe, the Mail coif protected the neck and lower face. During the 14th century as more plate armor appeared to supplement mail, the Bascinet helmet incorporated a mail curtain called the Aventail which protected the lower face, neck and shoulders. A separate mail collar called a "pisan" or "standard" was sometimes worn under the aventail as additional protection. Towards the end of the 14th century, threats including the increased penetrating power of the lance when paired with a lance rest on the breastplate made more rigid forms of neck protection desirable. One solution was a standing collar plate worn over the aventail and separate from the helmet, which was wide enough for the helmet to move around in so that the man-at-arms could turn his head. Through the early 15th century, gorget plates were integrated into the helmet itself to form the great bascinet. Other forms of helmet such as the sallet which did not protect the lower face and throat with plate were paired with a separate bevor, and the armet was often fitted with a wrapper that included gorget lames protecting the throat. During this time, the mail standard was still used.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the gorget became fully developed as a component of plate armor in its own right. Unlike previous gorget plates and bevors which sat over the breastplate and required a separate mail collar to fully protect the neck from gaps, the developed gorget was worn under the back and breastplate and was intended to cover a larger area of the neck, nape, shoulders, and upper chest, since the upper edges of the cuirass had become lower than before. The gorget served as an anchor point for the Pauldrons, which either had holes to slide over pins projecting from the gorget, or fastened to the gorget by straps and buckles. The neck was protected by a high collar of articulated lames, and the overall gorget consisted of front and back pieces which were hinged at the side so it could be put on and taken off. Some helmets had additional neck lames which overlapped the gorget, while others fitted tightly to the top of the gorget so that there would be no gap between them.
By the 17th century there appeared a form of gorget with a low, unarticulated collar and larger front and back plates which covered more of the upper chest and back. These were not worn with a breastplate as part of a full harness, but instead were worn over civilian clothing or a Buff coat. Some gorgets of this period were "parade" pieces that were beautifully etched, gilded, engraved, chased, embossed, or enamelled at great expense. Gradually the gorget became smaller and more symbolic, and became a single crescent shape worn on a chain, which suspended the gorget ever lower on the chest so that the gorget no longer protected the throat in normal wear. It is one of the more unusual elements of the arms and armour collecting field that 18th and 19th century fine etched armour, in the earlier styles of the 16th century, can be prized the same, or even more highly than the earlier originals that they were based upon. Companies such as Granger of Paris, that worked in the 1840's, created miniature suits of armour that can achieve tens of thousands of pounds, even approaching six figures today, that are no more than 50 cms high complete. Size 14 inches x 12 inches.  read more

Code: 20436

Gestalten Der Weltgeshichte Miniaturen. Shaping World History. Contemporary Miniatures of Famous Personalities from Four Centuries (Third Reich Publication1933)

A superb 1930's German album-book perfect for the collector of antique miniatures and famed personalities of history

Wiemann, Hermann (Text)

Gestalten der Weltgeschichte . Zeitgenössische Miniaturen berühmter Persönlichkeiten aus vier Jahrhunderten (1933)

Contemporary miniatures of famous personalities from four centuries, paperback with gold embossing, A4, Cigarettn-Bilderdienst, 1933, 111 pages, really good condition for its age,

Cardboard cover with gold embossing, 111 pages, approx. 31 x 23.5 cm, Humanism and Reformation in Germany / The Renaissance in Italy / England under the Tudors / The Renaissance in France / Spain and the Netherlands / Thirty Years' War / Absolutism in Prussia and Saxony / Absolutism in France / England under the Stuarts and the Revolution / England in the 18th century / France under Louis XV / Austria in the 18th century / Frederick the Great and his time / Russia / the time of Goethe / Louis XVI. and the French Revolution / Napoleon I and his time / Germany in the war of liberation / German Romanticism / The 19th century Shapes of world history Contemporary miniatures of famous personalities from four centuries Published by Cigaretten-Bilderdienst, Hamburg-Bahrenfeld, 1933 151.-180.  read more

Code: 24617

A Superb 19th Century Persuader Cosh. A Victorian, City Dwellers Version Of A Royal Navy 'Press-Gang' Cosh

Also a so called, 'life preserver', concealable flexible head cosh that would once have been well concealed about a gentleman's person, within an inside overcoat pocket, or tucked through a waist belt. Based on a press gang club from the Georgian era In the Victorian era, after dark, city thoroughfares abounded with ruffians neer'do wells and garrotters. Police forces, in those days, were in their infancy, and the respectable and well heeled inhabitants, when travelling the streets and lanes of most cities, were understandably paranoid for their safety, so most protection had to be provided for by oneself, and all due precautions and defensive measures explored. This is a wonderful example of a club, known at the time as a life preserverWe detail an article from Punch Magazine, August 18th 1866, regarding a trial of some violent street attackers?.. "No less than six roughs, two of them garrotters, convicted at Manchester Assizes, of robbery with violence, were sentenced the other day by Mr. Justice Lush, to be, in addition to penal servitude, flogged with the cat-o'-nine-tails. ? If there is in his the criminal's nature any degree of latent sympathy, inactive from want of imagination, it can be stimulated to due activity only be a whipping which will give him considerable pain. All that pain is economy of pain; of so much pain as it saves respectable people from suffering by brutal violence. ? Some of the six scoundrels whipped at Manchester, being pachydermatous, made a show of bravado. To preclude this in future, let all such offenders be sentenced to be flogged two or three times."

Punch, August 18, 1866. We show several original Victorian Punch magazine and journal illustrations of several persons being accosted in the city streets by thugs, and a group of ladies and gentlemen walking in the road armed with coshes and clubs for protection for information only.  read more

Code: 21139

A Most Rarely Seen, Antique Ceremonial, Head-Hunters Sword 'Pusaka Magic' Dohong, A Borneo, Dyak Shamen's, Kayanic Art Ritual Sword, With a Carved, Twin-Head Hilt

This is an amazing dohong, a Borneo kayanic art carved twin headed hilt sword, given to a previous owner, by a Dyak headhunter shamen, with a hardened skin scabbard, possibly goatskin. It’s condition is superb with stunning natural age patina to the carved wooden hilt. Kayanic art is most distinctive in the depiction of carved heads, with an owl-like style of heart shaped face carving

There are a lot of intriguing interest about this most rare form of shamen's dohong when they appear. They can come in either dagger or short sword form, and both are rare, but due to the fact it was likely used mostly for ceremonial "pusaka magic", many have never seen such a piece to survive. Few such ceremonies had ever been seen by Westerners, as very few outsiders visited the inner Dayak tribes during the 19th century. Of course ceremonial Dyak shamen magic was not always benign, as it could often include head-hunting, so the reticence of strangers to attempt to view such ceremonies was highly understandable

There is however, a somewhat similar carved wood hilted double headed kyanic art example in the National Museum Wereldkulturen in Rotterdam, and from all the ones we have seen, although very few in number of course, they have had all manner of bespoke differences. See photo 10 of that particular similar sword in the gallery

Dayaks are a collection ethic groups that have traditionally lived in the forests in both the Malaysian and Indonesian sides of Borneo. They are distinguished from the Malay population in that for the most part they are not Muslims and distinguished from the Penan in that have traditionally been settled while the Penan were nomadic.

The Dayaks are former head hunters and the original "wild men of Borneo." They continued to practice headhunting after it was outlawed by the Dutch in the 19th century. Up until World War II most of them were river-dwelling head hunters. Now many have been Christianized and forced into settlements. Even though they were the original inhabitants of Borneo they are now greatly outnumbered by Malays and Indonesians. It is believed that most Dayaks lived along the coast until they were driven inland after the arrival of the Malays.

Dayak "psycho-navigators” use visions and dreams to help them find their way in the forest. Dayak shaman practitioners of the "Old Snake religion” describe a hidden highland lake where enormous aging pythons enjoy dancing under the light of the full moon to honor the forest god Aping. Many Dayaks are Christians who have incorporated animists concepts onto their belief scheme. Missionaries went through the trouble of backpacking in paints and brushes to make hellfire scenes on the sides of longhouses. On the positive side missionaries have helped the Dayak clear landing strips which can be used for medical emergencies.

James Brooke wrote in his journal in “Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido for the Suppression of Piracy”: “The Kayans of the north-west coast of Borneo have one custom in common with the wild tribe of Minkoka in the Bay of Boni. Both the Kayans and Minkokas on the death of a relative seek for a head; and on the death of their chief many human heads must be procured: which practice is unknown to the Dyak. It may further be remarked, that their probable immigration from Celebes is supported by the statement of the Millanows, that the Murut and Dyak give place to the Kayan whenever they come in contact, and that the latter people have depopulated large tracts in the interior, which were once occupied by the former. Source: “The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido For the Suppression of Piracy” by Henry Keppel and James Brooke (1847).

The Dayak perform elaborate death ceremonies in which the bones are disinterred for secondary reburial. The Ngaju Dayaks in the Mendawai area of Kalimantan keep alive their ancient burial rituals called Tiwah. Participants wear bizarre masks, with owl-like heart shaped faces, sing, and stage mock attacks. They exhume the bones of the dead, anoint and touch the bones and re-intern them in family “sandung”. (House-shaped boxes on stilts). In the old days headhunting was often include in the ritual.

Interestingly, despite returning from the darkest regions of the interior of Borneo, with this gifted sword, by the original vendors father, a former merchant ship captain, we were reminded, due to a mention from a regular viewer of our site, that we once had a somewhat similar style prestige sword from the Bamum or Tikar people of Cameroon. A tribe known for its similar highly talented artistry and carving. We couldn’t help wondering if there could once possibly have been a connection of some sort between these two native peoples due to the similarity of this wood-carvings artistry, despite around 7,000 mile distance between these peoples across the Indian Ocean. Could the Tikar peoples have made swords inspired by the Borneo version, or indeed could it be the other way around, and a Tikar sword found its way to Borneo. We may never know.

The captains son mentioned his father had a b&w photograph with the entire tribe’s elders after gifting him this sword. Apparently he became a most favoured ‘foreigner’ with the tribe due his supply of important necessities to them in ‘difficult times’. This may have been during the imminent Japanese invasions of that part of the world around the Indian Ocean in WW2.

The overall condition for age is excellent with just a small separation of the hide at the base of the scabbard. 28.5 inches long overall in scabbard, blade 16 inches long

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of our family’s trading  read more

Code: 24466

A Koto Period O-Sukashi Katana Tsuba

Circa 1550. Tsuba were made by whole dynasties of craftsmen whose only craft was making tsuba. They were usually lavishly decorated. In addition to being collectors items, they were often used as heirlooms, passed from one generation to the next. Japanese families with samurai roots sometimes have their family crest (mon) crafted onto a tsuba. Tsuba can be found in a variety of metals and alloys, including iron, steel, brass, copper and shakudo. In a duel, two participants may lock their katana together at the point of the tsuba and push, trying to gain a better position from which to strike the other down. This is known as tsubazeriai pushing tsuba against each other.  read more

Code: 20314

One Amazing {of Two} 17th Century Iron Cannon Balls From 'Queen Elizabeth's Pistol', A 24 Foot Long Basilisk Cannon. The Cannon Balls Were Found in the 19th Century. A Fabulous Relic From 'The Siege of Hull' During the English Civil War

'Queen Elizabeth's Pistol', was the Tudor nickname of a fabulous cannon presented to Queen Elizabeth's father King Henry the VIIIth. In the English Civil war it was called 'the great Basilisco of Dover' and it was used in the English Civil war, first by the Parliamentarian artillery train forces of the Earl of Essex, it was captured, at Lostwithiel in August 1644, then used by the King's Artillery train, and then retaken by the Parliamentarian forces.

The basilisk got its name from the mythological basilisk: a fire-breathing venomous serpent that could cause large-scale destruction and kill its victims with its glance alone. It was thought that the very sight of it would be enough to scare the enemy to death

The cannon balls were recovered from the besieged area of Hull, and sold at auction in the 19th century, and since then, they have been in the same family's ownership. We are selling them separately, and priced individually.

The 24 foot long bronze cannon was cast in 1544 by Jan Tolhuys in Utrecht. It is thought to have been presented to Henry VIII by Maximiliaan van Egmond, Count of Buren and Stadtholder of Friesland as a gift for his young daughter Elizabeth and is known to have been referred to as Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol by an article in the Gentleman's Magazine from 1767. The cannon is thought to have been used during the English Civil War, described as 'the great Basilisco of Dover' amongst other ordnance captured by Royalist forces from the Earl of Essex in Cornwall in 1644, later used at the siege of Hull and recaptured by Parliamentarians. The barrel is decorated in relief with fruit, flowers, grotesques, and figures symbolizing Liberty, Victory and Fame. The gun carriage was commissioned by the Duke of Wellington in the 1820s, when it was then known as Queen Anne's gun, cast from French guns captured at Waterloo.

Maximilian van Egmont, Count of Buren, Stadtholder of Friesland, 1509-1548, was a distinguished military commander in the service of the Emperor. He was on terms of friendship with Henry VIII and commanded the Imperial contingent at the Siege of Boulogne in 1544. The gun may have been installed at Dover as soon as it was received in England. In the inventory of the Royal possessions drawn up after the King's death in 1547 "the Ordynance and Munycions of Warre......which were in the black bulworke at the peire of Dover....included Basillisches of brasse .....oone Basillisches shotte ......Cl ti"

A popular rendering of the inscription on the gun was 'Load me well and keep me clean, I'll send a ball to Calais Green'. A footnote in the 1916 inventory suggests that this is a doubtful boast since ' Calais Green' was a part of Dover. There appears, however, to be no basis for this statement.

We show in the gallery two of the Basilisk cannon balls recovered outside the curtain wall of Pontefract Castle

Pontefract Castle sits on the edge of the medieval market town. Conservation work is being undertaken with the ambition of making Pontefract a key heritage destination within West Yorkshire. The £3.5m Heritage Lottery funded project is known as the Key to the North, after the title bestowed upon the castle by Edward I. During the project, workmen at the castle recovered seven cannonballs from a section of the castle’s curtain wall.

This cannon ball {a pair to our other one} was acquired from an auction, of recovered Civil War relics from the Siege of Hull, that was held in Hull in the early Victorian period, and acquired from the buyers directly descended family, by us, very recently.

The basilisk was a very heavy bronze cannon employed during the Late Middle Ages. The barrel of a basilisk could weigh up to 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) and could have a calibre of up to 5 inches (13 cm). On average they were around 10 feet long, though some, like Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, were almost three times that length.
The basilisk got its name from the mythological basilisk: a fire-breathing venomous serpent that could cause large-scale destruction and kill its victims with its glance alone. It was thought that the very sight of it would be enough to scare the enemy to death

The Basilisk cannon used in the Civil War was a most specific calibre of almost 5 inches, and fired this distinct size of round shot cannon ball munition of just over 4 1/2 inch diameter

We also show in the gallery a photograph of 'Queen Elizabeth's Pistol'. in Dover Castle, with a stack of the very same sized cannon balls.

The ball is very surface russetted, but still spherical and very good for its age,

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of our family’s trading  read more

Code: 25075

A Simply Stunning 19th Century Crimean War British Coldstream Guards, Battle of Alma period, Senior Officer's Regimental Gothic Hilt Sword

A beautiful sword, made by Andrews of Pall Mall London, with traditional WR IVth cypher Gothic hilt, sharkskin bound grip and pipeback combat blade with regimental badge of the Coldstream Guards, plus the cypher of King William IVth. It is set in its senior officer's field rank scabbard, and just as used by a field officer [major and above] in The Crimean War, in the Coldstream Guards, and at the Battle of Alma. This below is taken from a letter sent from the Crimea by a Coldstream officer.

Bivouac, River Alma, 21 September 1854
I hasten to write a few lines to tell you I am safe and sound, knowing how anxious you will be, after hearing that we have had an action with the Russians.At about 12 o'clock on the 20th, on crowning a ridge, we came all at once in sight of the Russian army, in an entrenched camp beyond the Alma, distant about three miles. Immediately we appeared they set fire to a village between us and them so as to mask their force by the smoke.

We continued advancing steadily, halting occasionally to rest the men, till half-past one, when the first shot was fired, and soon after the rattle of musketry told us that our rifle skirmishers were engaged. Our division then deployed into line, and we stood so for about twenty minutes, an occasional round shot rolling up to us, but so spent that one was able to step aside from it. Wounded men from the front soon began to be carried through our lines to the rear, and loose and wounded horses began to gallop about.

At last we were ordered to advance, which we did for about 300 yards nearer the batteries, and halted, and the men lay down. We were now well within range, and the round shot fell tolerably thick, an occasional shell bursting over our heads.

After standing steady for about twenty minutes, the light division (who were in line in front of us) advanced again, and we followed.

The Russians had put posts to mark the ranges, which they had got with great accuracy. We now advanced to within 200 yards of the river and 700 from the batteries, and halted under a low wall for five minutes, till we saw the light division over the river, when we continued our advance in support of them. On crossing the wall we came into vineyards, and here the cannonade was most terrific, the grape and canister falling around us like hail - the flash of each gun being instantly followed by the splash of grape among the tilled ground like a handful of gravel thrown into a pool.

On reaching the river, the fire from a large body of riflemen was added, but the men dashed through, up to their middle in water, and halted on the opposite side to re-form their ranks, under shelter of a high bank. At this moment the light division had gained the intrenchment, and the British colour was planted in the fort; but, ammunition failing them, they were forced back.

The Scots Fusiliers were hurried on to support them before they had time to reform themselves, and the 23rd, retiring in some confusion upon them, threw them for a few minutes into utter disorder. The Russians, perceiving this, dashed out of the fort upon them, and a frightful struggle took place which ended in their total discomfiture.

For a minute or two the Scots Fusilier colours stood alone in the front, while General Bentinck rallied the men to them, their officers leading them on gallantly.

At this moment I rode off to the Coldstream, through whose ranks the light division had retired, leaving them the front line. They advanced up the hill splendidly, with the Highlanders on their left, and not a shot did they fire till within 150 or 200 yards from the intrenchments. A battery of 18 and 24 pounders was in position in our front, and a swarm of riflemen behind them. Fortunately the enemy's fire was much too high, passing close over our heads, the men who were killed being all hit on the crown of the head, and the Coldstream actually lost none. When we got about fifty yards from the intrenchment, the enemy turned tail, leaving us masters of the battery and the day.

As they retired they took all their guns except two, and a great many of their wounded. In spite of this the ground was covered with dead and dying, lying in heaps in every direction on what might be called the glacis, and inside the intrenchments they were so thick that one could hardly avoid riding over them; but the excitement of the victory stifled for the time all feeling of horror for such a scene, and it was not till this morning when I visited the battle-field, that I could at all realise the horrors which must be the price of such a day. Most fervently did I thank God, who had preserved me amidst such dangers. How I escaped seems to me the more marvellous the more I think of it. Though on horseback (on my old charger), my cocked-hat and clothes were sprinkled all over with blood.

The loss of the Brigade of Guards is very severe, but the proportion of deaths to wounded is extraordinarily small. On calling the roll after the action, 312 rank and file and fifteen officers were discovered to be killed and wounded.

Besides there was my poor friend Horace Cust, who was struck by a round shot in crossing the river. He was aide-de-camp to General Bentinck, and we were watering our horses at the time when the shot struck his horse in the shoulder and smashed poor Cust's thigh. He died soon after the leg was amputated. Charles Baring, who has lost his arm (taken out of the socket) is the only other Coldstream officer hit. They only went into action with sixteen officers, less than half their complement.

We have been occupied the whole day in burying the dead. About 1000 were laid in the ditch of the fort, and the earthen parapet was then thrown back upon them. We find that the whole garrison of Sebastopol were before us, under Mentschikoff in person. His carriage has fallen into our hands, and in it a letter stating that Sebastopol could hold out a long time against us, but that there was a position at Alma which could hold out three weeks. We took it in three hours.

So convinced were they of the impossibility of our taking it that ladies were actually there as spectators, little expecting the review they were destined to be spectators of. We expect now to find no resistance whatever at the Katcha river, the whole Russian force having retired into Sebastopol. We always turn out at four o'clock in the morning, an hour before daybreak. This is a superb and historical sword. When originally purchased it would have had a junior officer's leather and brass scabbard, but, its use in a 'field rank pattern' scabbard, of all brass, would have been granted to the officer, upon his promotion from captain to major, in the regiment and thence forward to colonel if greater promotion was achieved. Small combat denting to the scabbard. There are few swords just as this superb example in the museum collection, and they appear in the book of the Artifacts of the Crimean War, "Crimean Memories", by Hutchinson, Vice, & Small  read more

Code: 23428