Lot Essay
THE MOUNTBATTEN GUNS
Purdey records confirm that the guns were completed circa 1910. Gun No. 19772 was sold to His Serene Highness Prince Leopold of Battenburg in July of that year and in November he took delivery of gun No. 19937. The ledgers confirm the following specifications:-
'A pair of 12 bore double-barrelled hammerless ejector side-by-side guns with 29in. barrels, pistol grip stocks with a length of 14¼in. at the middle, spring-bladed front triggers, a gold '1' and '2' inlaid on the ribs, tips and levers, monogram with coronets in gold inlaid in the stocks in place of ovals, a weight of 6lb. 10½oz. and the barrels bored right: tight cylinder and left: modified choke'. There is a further note in the Dimensions Book of 1919 to the effect that both guns now belonged to Lord Mountbatten
Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900-1979), great grandson of Queen Victoria, had a conventional upbringing marred by the hounding of his father, Prince Louis of Battenberg and First Sea Lord, from office at the opening of the First World War on the grounds of his German ancestry. The young Prince Louis remarked at the time: 'It doesn't really matter very much. Of course I shall take his place.' The family name was subsequently changed to Mountbatten. In 1916 Prince Louis was assigned as midshipman in the Royal Navy and he went on to see active service until the cessation of hostilities. His varied naval career continued until 1942 when he became chief of Combined Operations with particular responsibility for commando operations against enemy positions. In the summer of 1943 Mountbatten assumed Supreme Command in South East Asia and, in a series of brilliant offensive campaigns, halted the Japanese advance; he accepted the formal surrender of the Japanese southern armies in 1945. Mountbatten was subsequently to become the last Viceroy of India and, more poignantly, Admiral of the Fleet, First Sea Lord and Defence Chief of Staff, thereby bringing to fruition his childhood promise to assume his father's place
Purdey records confirm that the guns were completed circa 1910. Gun No. 19772 was sold to His Serene Highness Prince Leopold of Battenburg in July of that year and in November he took delivery of gun No. 19937. The ledgers confirm the following specifications:-
'A pair of 12 bore double-barrelled hammerless ejector side-by-side guns with 29in. barrels, pistol grip stocks with a length of 14¼in. at the middle, spring-bladed front triggers, a gold '1' and '2' inlaid on the ribs, tips and levers, monogram with coronets in gold inlaid in the stocks in place of ovals, a weight of 6lb. 10½oz. and the barrels bored right: tight cylinder and left: modified choke'. There is a further note in the Dimensions Book of 1919 to the effect that both guns now belonged to Lord Mountbatten
Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900-1979), great grandson of Queen Victoria, had a conventional upbringing marred by the hounding of his father, Prince Louis of Battenberg and First Sea Lord, from office at the opening of the First World War on the grounds of his German ancestry. The young Prince Louis remarked at the time: 'It doesn't really matter very much. Of course I shall take his place.' The family name was subsequently changed to Mountbatten. In 1916 Prince Louis was assigned as midshipman in the Royal Navy and he went on to see active service until the cessation of hostilities. His varied naval career continued until 1942 when he became chief of Combined Operations with particular responsibility for commando operations against enemy positions. In the summer of 1943 Mountbatten assumed Supreme Command in South East Asia and, in a series of brilliant offensive campaigns, halted the Japanese advance; he accepted the formal surrender of the Japanese southern armies in 1945. Mountbatten was subsequently to become the last Viceroy of India and, more poignantly, Admiral of the Fleet, First Sea Lord and Defence Chief of Staff, thereby bringing to fruition his childhood promise to assume his father's place