Product Details
LUDW. LOEWE & CO.
A BOER 7X57mm 'MOD. MAUSER 1896' BOLT-MAGAZINE SERVICE RIFLE, serial no. 412,
29in. reblued nitro proved (in 2010) sighted barrel with block-mounted blade fore-sight and rear ladder sight (possible replacement), reblued receiver, the side wall marked 'MOD. MAUSER 1896. LUDW. LOEWE & Co. BERLIN.', possible replacement cocking piece, regulation 13in. figured three-quarter 'tiger-stripe' stock with reblued steel buttplate, sling swivels, cleaning rod, the right side of the butt with a brass plaque inscribed 'P.J. JOUBERT. COMMANDANT GENERAL' and carrying the monogram 'W.T.' at the base, (reblued and refinished throughout)
Provenance: Although it it not possible to state with any certainty, in all probability this is a genuine presentation rifle given to General Joubert either by the makers, or by one of his senior members of staff.
It is being offered for auction by Ye Pirates Club of Porthcawl, Wales and the vendors have kindly supplied the following information:
The club was formed as a private gentleman's club in 1928 and at inception, several members of H.M. forces were granted honourary memberships, and it is thought that the rifle may have been presented to the club by one of them. The oldest surviving member joined in 1960 and certainly remembers the rifle on the wall of a room there called 'The Dugout'. Over time, the rifle collected dust, dirt and a layer of nicotine to the extent that the figuring on the stock was obscured and the brass plaque un-readable. It is only recently, during renovation work at the club, that a member observed that the rifle is a current calibre and therefore a Section 1 firearm!
Ye Pirates had originally intended handing the rifle to the police, and it was only after closer inspection that its provenance came to light and the decision taken to have it restored. This was duly carried out and the rifle is now being offered at auction.
Other Notes: Petrus (Pier) Jacobus Joubert was born 20th January 1834 in Cape Colony, South Africa. He was orphaned when young and eventually settled in the Transvaal near Laing's Nek, Natal. Here he put down farming roots but studied law alongside this.
He was held in high regard, for both his agricultural and legal abilities, so much so that he was elected to the Volksraad as member for Wakkerstroom in the early 1860s. His career gathered pace and by 1875 he was acting president of the region.
He soon proved to be a thorn in the side of the British as after the first annexation of the Transvaal, he consistently refused to hold office under the new government, despite the fact that many prominent Boers, Paul Kruger included, were doing so. Instead, he took a leading role in directing the agitation that led to the first Boer War of 1880-81. During this he was appointed as Commandant-General of the Boer forces, and, ergo, a member of the triumvirate that administered the provisional Boer government, set up in 1880 at Heidelberg.
His political career, whilst successful, saw him fail on three occasions during elections for the President of Transvaal; Paul Kruger taking the majority vote each time.
Joubert's last major battle took place at Ladysmith during the second Boer War. Ahead of the hostilities, he had ordered 30,000 Mauser magazine rifles for his men, who were largely made up of farmers and home-steaders. These men had little by way of formal military training, but were formed into a very effective fighting force through their strong sense of community and dislike for the British. Despite a numerical advantage, the British time and time again employed out-dated and equally unsuccessful tactics against a foe who were both natural marksmen and excellent horsemen.
Joubert and his men won a brave and absolute victory at Ladysmith even though the General was criticised for allowing the British to retreat without too much harrowing. When urged to launch a full-scale offensive on the retreating troops he is alleged to have responded, "When God holds out his finger, don't take the whole hand."
The war had weakened Joubert considerably and he succumbed to peritonitis on 28th March 1900. He was much respected by his own men, but also by the British. His opposite number at Ladysmith, Lieutenant-General Sir George White, described him as, "A soldier and a gentleman, and a brave and honourable opponent."
Estimate £1,500-2,000
THE ABOVE LOT WILL REQUIRE THE BUYER TO PRODUCE A RELEVANT BRITISH FIREARMS CERTIFICATE OR REGISTERED FIREARMS DEALER LICENCE BEFORE IT MAY BE RELEASED.