A gun with a little history




      This a shotgun that has quite a story to tell and there's a little bit of history built into the story too. The story of the gun's journey to West Norfolk began some time after D-Day in the Second World War when an Armoured Brigade of Guards were in Belgium near Brussels. The commander of one of the tanks, a Lieutenant Joicey, went into Brussels to buy a shotgun and ammunition.
      Although it seems bizarre that a heavily armed tank should need a sporting hunter's shotgun to supplement its weaponry, the basis of the idea was that the crew could supplement their boring military rations diet with rabbit, game and pigeon and this they did. If you were to shoot a rabbit with a .303 Lee Enfield there wouldn't be enough rabbit left to eat.



      The gun worked for it's keep through Belgium, the Ardenne and on into Germany. After the war when the Armoured Brigade returned home Lieutenant Joicey gave the gun to a tank crew member, Neville 'Nobby' Clarke, who brought it back to West Norfolk and he continued to use it for the same purpose, supplementing the family diet with small game through the post-war period of food rationing.



      After a number of years he in turn handed it over to our farmer neighbour for safe keeping when he got to old to shoot and now the gun, a 24 gauge hammer gun has moved on again. It's definitely a solo gun with no safety-catch and it certainly isn't a masterpiece of the gunsmith's art, it is just a simple working gun. Now I need to source some 24 gauge shells and apparently that won't be to easy, but before that a thorough clean and oil, then a visit to the gunsmith to give it a thorough check-up before it is fired again.
      Here she is, oiled, cleaned and ready for the gunsmith's health check and overhaul.





Comments

  1. I love your wonderful story, John. Brings some humanity to WW-II. My wife's Uncle Joe was part of the force, that landed at Normandy on D-day. By some miracle he returned home, after the war.

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  2. Good afternoon John, Thank You, Lieutenant Joicy came from Northumberland and later succeeded his father to become Lord Joicey. Amazing that the gun wasn't dumped and I have traced a source of 24 gauge cartridges, so when the farmer plants his Japanese peas beware pigeons, you'll be heading for a pie! Regards, John

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  3. John, my reply posted itself, I was going to say Uncle Joe did well to survive hell-hole, Sue and I have visited the beaches in Normandy and what torture that must have been to be under fire from those cliffs and blockhouses. Regards, John

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  4. Our boys jumped off the landing craft and 60% landed in the arms of God.

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  5. Those Rangers climbing the cliffs, having been to the cliffs, well their bravery is incomprehensible to a post war child. My father flew a night fighter in the blitz, recon from Northern Scotland, Morocco, Italy until he ended up in a USAAF hospital that saved his hand. The trouble is young people now do not understand, Real life not a game or movie. Best wishes, John

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