Auction of Fort Paull museum exhibits

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Also sold were two 25-pdr field guns.

One was built by GMH Australia (at least the carriage was):

"Howitzer 25lbs British Field Gun Mk.I (Bidding/Purchasing Restrictions Apply) This lot does appear to be deactivated but has no certificate
Hammer Price: 6,000 GBP"

db4b303e-f2a5-4522-b554-ac06010395e9.jpg efb1dc16-409e-4bc1-b2c5-ac2c01072567.jpg
Source: https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/a...1-ac0600cb3d78

Second one is British-built:

"Avery 25lb Mk.1 Field Gun 1940 Reg: CA388 (whilst this lot looks like it has been deactivated we have no paperwork or certificate) (Bidding/Purchasing Restrictions Apply)
Hammer Price: 8,000 GBP"

a10d4635-9d94-420e-a340-ac2c00a86523.jpg 629eaaaf-b12d-48ee-a96b-ac2400e8c446.jpg
Source: https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/a...6-ac0600cc3034

[Hanno Spoelstra]

And then there were many manuals sold off in lots of ten (roughly from lot 685 and onwards).

Many MCP, CMP and British vehicle (related) manuals, which sadly all suffer from getting mouldy to a certain extent (like many other artefacts in the auction):

20f2d7a7-81ce-48d9-91d6-ac1e010560fe.jpg 185a4198-1ad2-4c7a-8da2-ac1e01055ae5.jpg 5e30c87a-ca10-464c-9f6c-ac1e010545ec.jpg 4fd4a31c-4bb1-40e0-8d02-ac1e010544d7.jpg c10e8248-fd19-4912-b724-ac1e010549fa.jpg

[rnixartillery]

The Marmon was in extremely poor condition All tin work would need remanufacturing, very little of anything good inside .
The Australian 25 pdr was also very poor with salt air ingress and went for way over what I thought it was worth as well as being incomplete.
The Avery 25 pdr was complete and in good order ,a simple restoration.
Generally everything in the sale was in very poor condition due to its coastal location and poor preservation.


Rob...................rnixartillery.

[Mike Cecil]

I wonder why anyone would have wanted to import an Australian 25-pdr into the UK sometime after the late 1950s or early 1960s?

Sounds like 'coals to Newcastle'.

Mike

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

I wonder why anyone would have wanted to import an Australian 25-pdr into the UK sometime after the late 1950s or early 1960s?

Sounds like 'coals to Newcastle'.

It may have been supplied to / swapped sometime during WW2 to become part of British Army inventory? Would be interesting to hear this gun tell it's story on how it came to the UK.

[rnixartillery]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

I wonder why anyone would have wanted to import an Australian 25-pdr into the UK sometime after the late 1950s or early 1960s?

Sounds like 'coals to Newcastle'.

Mike

I actually thought the Australian 25pdr was the most interesting piece there ,it did have its foot pedal firing linkage complete and I was intending to bid on it but it just did not command the price it went for.
It had a great deal of rot in places ,surprisingly the belly of the carriage was solid.

Rob...................rnixartillery.

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

I wonder why anyone would have wanted to import an Australian 25-pdr into the UK sometime after the late 1950s or early 1960s?

Sounds like 'coals to Newcastle'.

Mike

Mike,
I believe that Australian 25-pdr was sold at the Pickles auction of equipment from the Newcastle (NSW) Regional Museum in March 1997.

I was present at the auction and am sure it was bought by a UK dealer along with some other lots.

Actually it was coals from Newcastle!!!

regards, Richard

[Mike Cecil]

Thanks Richard, that clears up the mystery nicely. Indeed, coals from Newcastle! I was pretty sure it was not a WW2 import due to the muzzle brake with locking collar and the modified traverse gearbox mounting.

I hope whoever purchased it does a nice restoration, despite the rot - the GMH guns assembled at the Pagewood plant in Sydney are the rarer of the 25-pdrs from the two Australian major co-ordinating contractors.

Mike

[David Dunlop]

One can only hope, Mike. I sometimes wonder how many unique collectable items are lost forever from owners who see what they want, but not what they have.

David

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

Thanks Richard, that clears up the mystery nicely. Indeed, coals from Newcastle! I was pretty sure it was not a WW2 import due to the muzzle brake with locking collar and the modified traverse gearbox mounting.

I hope whoever purchased it does a nice restoration, despite the rot - the GMH guns assembled at the Pagewood plant in Sydney are the rarer of the 25-pdrs from the two Australian major co-ordinating contractors.

Mike

Hi Mike,
I can add a little anecdote to the Newcastle auction, the auctioneer clearly stated before bidding started on the 25-pdr that you would need to hold a licence. It was knocked down to a guy holding a beer can, who had probably already consumed several more, for $3000 Aussie dollars. When asked for the licence the guy said he did not have one. So the bidding started all over again and sold for $2300.

Richard

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Hi Richard, thanks that's interesting to read.

Would you happen to know where the South African Reconnaissance Car Mk IV (a.k.a. Marmon-Herrington Recce Car) came from?

Originally Posted by Richard Farrant

I believe that Australian 25-pdr was sold at the Pickles auction of equipment from the Newcastle (NSW) Regional Museum in March 1997.

I was present at the auction and am sure it was bought by a UK dealer along with some other lots.

Actually it was coals from Newcastle!!!

[rnixartillery]

I would put money on it being one of RnR,s ,Mike had three or four in his yard back in the early ninety's.
I think I have some pictures somewhere !


Rob....................rnixartillery.

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Hi Richard, thanks that's interesting to read.

Would you happen to know where the South African Reconnaissance Car Mk IV (a.k.a. Marmon-Herrington Recce Car) came from?

I think I have seen it somewhere before. It definitely was not in the Australian auction.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by rnixartillery

The Marmon was in extremely poor condition All tin work would need remanufacturing, very little of anything good inside .
The Australian 25 pdr was also very poor with salt air ingress and went for way over what I thought it was worth as well as being incomplete.
The Avery 25 pdr was complete and in good order ,a simple restoration.
Generally everything in the sale was in very poor condition due to its coastal location and poor preservation.

Rob, thanks for adjusting the expectations
Shows that one should visually inspect an item before proceeding to buy.