Product Details
J. PURDEY & SONS
A 12-BORE SELF-OPENING SIDELOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 16353,
30in. nitro reproved barrels (in 2010), rib engraved 'J. PURDEY & SONS. AUDLEY HOUSE, SOUTH AUDLEY STREET, LONDON.', 2 3/4in. chambers, bored approx. true cyl. and 1/2 choke, automatic safety with gold-inlaid 'SAFE' detail, removable striker discs, arrow cocking-indicators, best fine bouquet and scroll engraving, brushed bright and reblued finish overall, 15 1/2in. figured replacement stock, weight 6lb. 9oz., in its brass-cornered oak-lined leather case with some accessories. We are kindly informed by the makers that this shotgun was completed 1898 for G.R.A.J. Trotter, Esq. and was subsequently re-sold by them to Group Captain G.N. Warrington in 1936. It was then re-stocked by them in 1960 for Warrington's son, the current owner.
Provenance: Gp. Capt. George Ninian Warrington joined the R.A.F. in 1929 after seeing short service with the Merchant Navy. He was granted a permanent commission within Bomber Command and experienced an eventful war in several theatres. At the outbreak of hostilities he flew the ill-fated Fairey Battle with 218 'Gold Coast' Squadron. The Battle was a poorly armed aircraft that could neither out-run German fighters or defend itself very well and the type saw short service before being retired from the top-line.
Warrington then served with several Maintainance Units before joining 215 Squadron who were based in India. The squadron were equipped with the excellent Vickers Wellington, designed by Barnes Wallis, and operations were centred around slowing the Westward advance by the Japanese in Burma.
Warrington, clearly a keen sportsman, spent leave shooting snipe in India and Egypt and the lid of the guncase bears witness to this in the form of a steamer label for the Heliopolis Hotel in Cairo.
Warrington went on to serve with 223 Group, India before being appointed S.A.S.O. 221 Group and ended the war attached to 177 Wing, Allied Command South East Asia with the rank of Group Captain.
He was to lose his life tragically soon after surviving the rigours of war. He and his wife were cruising off the Western Isles of Scotland in the company of another R.A.F. officer when their yacht was in collision with a stray mine, no-one survived the accident.
The shotgun was then passed to his son who is now offering it for sale at auction. It is accompanied by a letter of provenance and copies from the pages of Warrington's game book when he was shooting snipe in Egypt.
Estimate £5,000-7,000
S2