Weapons—the older the better

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32524, 6 February 1971, Page 13

Weapons—the older the better

(By

REG WARD)

There is not much you can tell Peter Bromley about hardware, the lethal kind, that is. He takes a personal interest in weapons of all kinds.

A former merchant seaman, he also served in the army before he joined the R.A.F. as an air gunner, flying in Hampden bombers in a squadron commanded by Guy Gibson, of dam-busting fame. As a gunner, he claims he fired off enough rounds to satisfy him for a lifetime.

His passion for things military is nowadays an aesthetic and professional one. Weapons have always fascinated him, but it was not until five years ago that he decided to set up in business on his own, and to combine pleasure with making money. Although he buys and sells antiques of all kinds, he believes that there is a definite and growing demand among the public for anything military. For a long time now, the demand has exceeded the supply, a situation which tends to keep prices up. The kind of person who wants something merely to hang on a wall is often content to buy a reproduction, but the more desceming, like Mr Bromley himself, prefer to save their money for the real thing. Favourite era He is well read in his subject His favourite period is for weapons made between 1680 and 1750 the Jacobean era. Only recently he disposed of his sizable private collection. Security, he points out is always a risk. “You can worry yourself to death.” What he calls his “militaria” comes in all shapes and sizes . . . and prices. A genuine East India Company sword, c. 1820, will set you back £25, while for only £4 you could secure a fullsized sporran. Cap badges which dealers once thought of as rubbish now fetch around 5s each. There are bayonets and daggers, sword belts, bugles, buttons and horsebrasses. Unlike their modem counterparts, antique guns and pistols do not require a licence. Something else they can do better without is too much polishing, says Mr Bromley. What cleaning there is should be done gently and infrequently. Overcleaning can not only remove dirt — it can also take away the

essential “character” of a piece. As an enthusiast who is also a businessman, Mr Bromley is always glad to help a fellow-collector when he can. His two pet aversions are theatrical companies “they expect you to give them the stuff for noththing” and people who want him to make valuations over the telephone. “It’s something you just can’t do without seeing and handling an object for yourself,” he explains. Crossbow of 1740 One of his proudest acquisitions at present is a crossbow. Made by Johnson of Wigan, it dates from around 1740 and is in rosewood, decorated with handsomely engraved silver. The expected selling price is £2OO, for as Mr Bromley says: “A piece like this in this condition and of this quality, is most uncommon.” Once used as an essential item of hunting gear, the crossbow had a maximum killing range of about 500 yards. There are very few of them about today, and many of those that can be seen are already in museums. One of the best periods to collect, says Mr Bromley, is the American civil war. There are plenty of weapons and relics still about; prices, although not low, are cheaper than some. More modem, and in even greater demand, are souvenirs of Hitler’s war—Nazi helmets, daggers, tunic badges and the like. For a long time Mr Bomley felt the interest was unhealthy and refused to touch the stuff. Now he feels there is less to worry about. “It was a long time ago after all, wasn’t it?” He keeps a drawer full of this kind of material. Henry Nock pistol As a student of weaponry, he finds a particular fascination in guns from the two transitional periods in the history of firearms, when flintlocks were giving way to percussion models; and when the percussion types were being superseded by the cartridge gun. He has a beautiful example of the latter type in the shape of a pistol, made by the famous British gunsmith

Henry Nock. About 130 years old, it is a cross between the old “pepperpot” and the true revolver. It fires lead balls and comes complete in case with powder horn and accessories for £l2O. Also in Mr Bromley’s possession (but not for sale) is a collection of 15 trace brasses from various British Cavalry regiments which date from about the time of the charge of the Light Brigade. “There’s no way of being certain, but the assumption is that some at least of them might have been in that action," he says. The brasses, incidentally are more difficult to get hold of than guns or swords, the reason being that while people recognise weapons for what they are, the brasses are often thrown away as being of little interest, or else melted down for their brass and silver.

Suits and pieces of armour like breast and back plates are no stranger to Mr Bromley’s shop, and the history of armour is a story in itself, he says.