Early BSA air rifle / army shooting real photo postcard

[edbear2]

I bought this recently of 'that' website, listed as a WW1 rifle range postcard in the listing, but in the description it mentioned "BSA tent". Anyway, nothing in the photo was obviously air related, and no obvious sign of any BSA tent, but something about the distance and style of the targets got my interest so I placed a bid and forgot about it. When I checked back there had been only one other lowish bid, so was quite pleased to say the least, but wondering if I had wasted my time (again).

Arrived today, and under inspection with a loupe it's a result!...at least 3 BSA prewars in there, plus tantalising glimpses in the background of rifles where people have moved and the image is blurred, the BSA tent is indeed there in the background, and it looks like an early Army attended / BSA sponsored air rifle event.

The guns clearly visible are spade end under-levers, but there could possibly be a push button on a seat in the background, so am in the process as I write this of maxing out the poor old Epson V300 with the biggest resolution scan it will do (230 mins left).

Will get it on asap, with the missus hopefully doing her photoshop thingy to get some close ups so maybe can get some opinions of venue / date picture was taken as nothing on the card unfortunately

[Nikkormat]

Sounds interesting! I'm looking forward to seeing that.

Matt

[Prewar]

Something I saw on 'the bay' last month was this great family group with a Webley Mk2 Service rifle

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...re-war/web.jpg

[edbear2]

Something I saw on 'the bay' last month was this great family group with a Webley Mk2 Service rifle

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...re-war/web.jpg

I saw this too and thought how much a Webley owner would like it!.......Have scanned and uploaded photo, the guns in this are far less distinct than the Webley, but it is an interesting scene, I will link to a large file Flikr view, scroll around and see what you can spot;

14012x8791 pixels

2048x1285 pixels

1600x1000 pixels to show scene complete....looks a bit like the BFTO vintage meet!, wonder if a distant relative of Andy has done the targets...would love to know when and where this was!

[silva]

Great find, haven't seen a pic like that before. I wonder if it is one of the venues named on the Bsa Prize Rifles. Overbury Court perhaps ?
What part of the country was the vender from ?

[edbear2]

Great find, haven't seen a pic like that before. I wonder if it is one of the venues named on the Bsa Prize Rifles. Overbury Court perhaps ?
What part of the country was the vender from ?

He was a postcard dealer from Yorkshire, who sells a lot of stuff, so his location probably is unconnected, really annoying that there is zero information on the un-posted card itself on the reverse it just has; "Post-Card" and "communication" on one side, and "the address only to be written here" opposite, no makers name etc. Maybe it was a private commission by the photographer or organiser as a souvenir as seems a specialist hard to sell subject otherwise.

On closer examination the gun on the seat looks to be a spade grip, can anyone shed any light on the era (I would imagine the uniform to be a clue)...and how many and what type of guns have anyone spotted yet! (not all are obvious at first).

I had a mare of a time uploading it, had to re-size and convert to rgb format, but in original download size it is around 40meg I believe, so may be worth downloading and printing onto photo paper, have not tried this myself yet, and may be able to improve on the scanning as I am a bit of an amateur (used reflective setting, 16 bit greyscale and 3200 d.p.i. resolution (the max the memory would allow), I am sure it will come up better when I can get the missus to have a gander.

[Binners]

I think you can rule out Bisley going by the girth of that Oak tree. Mind you there are few there now that sport those dodgey 'Freddie Fudgepacker' moustaches

[inproved]

Hi Ed..

Superb Find Ed..These are great bit's of the past, that relate to a time when Great Britain was Great...not like now...we shall never see the likes again..As a poet once wrote "Each a glimpse and gone forever"


Regard's

Inproved...Steve..

[Binners]

Hi Ed..

Superb Find Ed..These are great bit's of the past, that relate to a time when Great Britain was Great...not like now...we shall never see the likes again..As a poet once wrote "Each a glimpse and gone forever"


Regard's

Inproved...Steve..

How very true Sir...

[Garvin]

Great find, Ed! Interesting, the suggestion that the smartly-dressed gent on the right is GLJ himself. The only pic I can find of him is from John Knibbs' book.

I've Photoshopped the two side by side and Ed's pic could certainly show an older GLJ - perhaps 15 or 20 years older.

Pic HERE.

[Binners]

Great find, Ed! Interesting, the suggestion that the smartly-dressed gent on the right is GLJ himself. The only pic I can find of him is from John Knibbs' book.

I've Photoshopped the two side by side and Ed's pic could certainly show an older GLJ - perhaps 15 or 20 years older.

Pic HERE.

See what I mean about the 'Freddie Fudgepacker' snoshes

[edbear2]

Great find, Ed! Interesting, the suggestion that the smartly-dressed gent on the right is GLJ himself. The only pic I can find of him is from John Knibbs' book.

I've Photoshopped the two side by side and Ed's pic could certainly show an older GLJ - perhaps 15 or 20 years older.

Pic HERE.

Hi Garvin, I had wondered why the photographer had made this pair the main point of focus, but the thought had not occurred to me I recall seeing another photo in a book of him (in earlier times) at possibly Bisley with some army types testing the underlevers, will go and have a mooch. I wonder if the family have anything from that period in his life as a reference.

Anyway, thanks for all the replies / input...the upload is free from copyright if anyone wants to have a go at printing it

[Binners]

Hi Garvin, I had wondered why the photographer had made this pair the main point of focus, but the thought had not occurred to me I recall seeing another photo in a book of him (in earlier times) at possibly Bisley with some army types testing the underlevers, will go and have a mooch. I wonder if the family have anything from that period in his life as a reference.

Anyway, thanks for all the replies / input...the upload is free from copyright if anyone wants to have a go at printing it

Glad to have been of help

[Oldandshaky]

Here is an attempt to clear up some of the background where its blown a bit at the expense of shadowing the main "fudgepacker" men at the front

http://www.pbase.com/davecthomson/image/143676785

Dave...

[edbear2]

See what I mean about the 'Freddie Fudgepacker' snoshes

Notwithstanding the trends in San Francisco / New York Village in the 70's and later, and the front man (now expired) who sported this style, at the time of the photo it was a bit different;

"However, the moustache was, in this socially-conscious society, the prerogative of the gentleman. Menservants were required to be clean-shaven, and in contrast to the ornate beards and moustaches worn by the officers of the day, which complemented their rank and age, subalterns and lesser ranks made do with much simpler styles."

"For an officer to shave his moustache would be treated like a breach of discipline and in the gentlemen’s clubs of St James’s, to appear with a naked upper lip was as unacceptable as forgetting to put on your trousers! The moustache also had its attractions for ladies. In the 1880s, Rudyard Kipling wrote of a woman who complained that being kissed by a man who did not wax his moustache was like eating an egg without salt. But a few men skirted this unspoken social edict, whether out of a preference for a clean-shaven face or an inability to grow the coveted thick, luxurious whiskers–as was the case of Winston Churchill, who gave up his struggle to grow one while Second Lieutenant in the Queen’s Own Hussars"

If you get access to a time machine Pete, best maybe not try to explain "fudgepacker" to these guys