My Webley WG Army Model & Holster

[Lancashire Fusilier]

I'll be sending the photos to Lancashire Fusilier to post on my behalf. Apart from the W.G. engraved with Lieutenant-Colonel Fulford's name and Boer War regimental postings, these can include portrait photos of him as a 2nd lieutenant in the Transvaal Constabulary and later as a police captain in 1922 taken shortly following the "Boksburg Incident". Should there be sufficient interest I can also send photos of his initialed police sword and the one he used during the Boer War as a 2nd lieutenant in Steinaecher's Horse. Although the South African Archives prove that he tried to volunteer for service in the First World War, I am afraid that this was not permitted!

Attached are your 5 extremely interesting photographs, and we look forward to the background information on them.

Regards,

LF

[Terrylee]

Lancashire Fusilier, thanks for posting the photos on my behalf. Hopefully, some day I'll again be able to attach photos. Any assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated! I trust that this other South African W.G. will be of interest to our members.

This W.G. belonged to an old friend of my father's when we lived in Pietermaritzburg. He was John Medley Loveband Fulford, a retired South African Police lieutenant - colonel. He had no children of his own and took an interest in my boyhood arms collection. He died in 1963, but not before giving me all his swords and other mementos of his military and police career. However, he obviously did not trust a teenager with a .455 revolver and I only acquired his W.G. in later years!

"Jack" Fulford originally came to South Africa as a young volunteer to fight in the Boer War. He carried this W.G. throughout the Boer War and it remained in his possession while serving in the South African Police. He only parted with it shortly before he died. Very interestingly, and as you can see, he had inscribed silver plates attached to its butt on which are recorded the units in which he served during and shortly after the Boer War. These I have checked out against his service record and they are absolutely correct:

1899 - 1900 2nd South African Light Horse (Robert's Horse), Sergeant, and was wounded at Abraham's Kraal.

1900 Transvaal Constabulary, Staff Lieutenant.

1901 - 1903 Steinaecker's Horse 2nd Lieutenant and Assistant Adjutant.

1903 Transferred into the South African Constabulary and later became a member of the South African Police via the Transvaal Police. He retired as a lieutenant-colonel in 1932.

As a member of the S.A.P. Fulford lead an interesting life, much of which I have researched via the South African Archives. In 1922, as a captain, he was the officer in command at the notorious "Boksburg Incident" when the police first clashed with and opened fire on the strikers thus initiating the violence of the so-called Miners' Rebellion. Three miners died. Although omitted in his initial report, it later came out at the coroner's inquest that Fulford had actually fired five shots from "his Webley revolver". Since one of the strikers, Terblanche, had been shot through the head by what appeared to be a large caliber handgun, Fulford was naturally accused of having killed him. However, this claim was later dropped through lack of evidence and it is officially recorded that Terblanche was killed by a "person unknown".

Whether the W.G. now in my possession is the "Webley" Fulford fired at Boksburg in 1922, I shall never know. However, I believe this is possible since as an officer he would have have had to provide his own firearm in the official caliber. Moreover, this revolver shows considerable wear and remained in his possession from the time of his involvement in the Boer War until shortly before he died.

Apart from the photos of Fulford's W.G. I have included one of him during the Boer War as a young man and a member of the Transvaal Constabulary and another as a captain taken shortly following the "Boksburg Incident" while the authorities were trying to justify what had taken place.

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Terry,

An excellent Webley W.G. revolver in its own right, and with its added history, it is superb, thanks for sharing.

Regards,

LF

[J.D.]

Thanks very much for sharing that great bit of history & photos with us Terry,

I would very much like to see the sword photos too please.

Thanks again

JD

[Lancashire Fusilier]

I'll be sending the photos to Lancashire Fusilier to post on my behalf.

More of Terry's extremely interesting photographs, to which he will be adding the text.

LF

[Terrylee]

Thanks, Lancashire Fusilier, for your assistance.

The first sword is a basic commercial version roughly following the Pattern 1822 British cavalry officer's sword. When Colonel Fulford gave it to me he mentioned that it had been surrendered to him by a Z.A.R. policeman when the forces under Lord Roberts, of which he was a member, occupied Pretoria. He also told me that he had had the metal scabbard covered in leather for his own use. I assume that this and the brown sword knot were added to approximate British military configuration to enable him to wear it as an officer in Steinaecker's Horse.

The second sword with its two scabbards is Colonel Fulford's police sword. I am informed that it is a Pattern 1896 cavalry officer's sword. It was made by Edward Thurkle of London. As you can see, it bears Fulford's initials and the cypher of King Edward VII. This sword appears in both the photo of Fulford as a captain and also that of him as a lieutenant-colonel, above. It was probably acquired at about the time of his transfer from the South African Constabulary to the Transvaal Police as a senior sub-inspector in 1908.

[J.D.]

Thanks very much for sharing the great bit of history & pics with us Terry.

All the best.

Jason