Gun show draws in the crowds
John Howe has been collecting military memorabilia since 1944 when he was four years old and living in the United Kingdom.
The Taranaki man, now in his
70s, had his vast array of weaponry on display at the Taranaki branch of the New Zealand Antique and Historical Arms Association’s gun show at New Plymouth’s Plymouth Hotel over the weekend.
Dressed in the uniform of the Welsh Guards, Howe said his interest in weapons developed after the British Army used his family’s farm in Cheshire, northwest England, during WWII.
‘‘Part of our farm was requisitioned by the army for arms training,’’ he said.
‘‘So we had a whole load of soldiers come in and they built barracks on the farm and then they used the quarries for rifle, mortar and machine gun practice.’’
The oldest piece in Howe’s collection was a Brown Bess musket, which was used by soldiers in the British Empire from the 1730s to
1839.
Show convenor Andy Edgecombe said there were hundreds of weapons on display from historical to modern firearms.
‘‘The oldest one in the show was manufactured about 1650 and it’s a French wheel-lock, through to the latest and greatest line-up that the guys from Taranaki long-range shooters are using.
‘‘It’s all about promoting firearms ownership and usage, and responsible ownership and usage.’’
Edgecombe said there had been an increased interest in military weapons during recent years as 100-year anniversaries were held for WWI battles.
‘‘There’s a lot of research going on by people who had family members serving overseas.
‘‘There’s a lot of New Zealand history associated with it.’’
He said the show had attracted good crowds with hundreds of people checking out the displays.
Shane Abercrombie, of Auckland, said he first become interested in weapons after looking at his great-grandfather’s as a five-year-old and then started collecting them aged 12.
‘‘Swords are mostly my favourites.’’