By Graeme Barber This article is in response to the February NZ Antique and Historical Arms Association eGazette and the Mystery Object contained within. With 3 members identifying the object almost simultaneously as an Aim Corrector for the SMLE and several interesting guesses the decision to writ …

Thanks to Mark Twiname The initial production of German tropical uniforms in late 1940 was a direct result of Mussolini’s ill-conceived entry into the war and opening a front against the British in Egypt in June of that year.  Realizing that a stable southern front was essential for its own long …

Thanks to Mark Twiname Preface This article can in no way be exhaustive due to the scarcity of the subject matter.  Therefore I will simply describe several original caps, including New Zealand & Australian veteran souvenired examples from the North African and Italian campaigns.  This will, …

By Graeme Barber If you have collected a military firearm perhaps you too will have experienced the euphoria created by admiring it, reading about it and showing it off to others who are willing to share the passion. This is very often followed (invariably soon after acquisition) by the desire to p …

By Graeme Barber An item found in many New Zealand homes, collections, second hand shops and in on-line and catalogue auctions is a small brass 5inch long by 3 ¼ inch wide by 1 ¼ inch double-skinned, hinged brass tin. Its identity is reasonably well known but mystery tends to surround how this †…

By Graeme Barber ‘Love at first sight’ is a saying reserved for the fairer sex, but we collectors, often without the knowledge of our ‘dearly beloved’ wife or partner, share some of our affection towards treasured items in our collection. 1. Lewis Model 1914 Light Machine Gun fitted …

By Graeme Barber The story began in September 1940 and involved two neighbours who had never met. The first a young Australian inventor Evelyn Owen from Wollongong had been working on a .22 small automatic gun for nine years. He had even shown it to a Colonel at the Victorian Barracks in Sydney to …