Webley Eclipse - Is this true ?
Is This true ?
Patrick Anson (any relation to the Anson of Anson Deeley does anyone know?) born in April 1939 and died on 11th November 2005 – spookily, exactly 125 years to the day after the execution of Ned Kelly, is perhaps better known as Patrick Lichfield, the 5th Earl of Lichfield, Cousin of Queen Elizabeth 2nd and Society Photographer.
As well as shooting Webley shotguns, Patrick Lichfield was delighted when he visited the Webley factory to become the proud owner of a Webley Eclipse air rifle, serial number 0001, effectively the ‘negative’ from which all other examples of that model were ‘prints’.
"I understand that he was deeply chagrined sometime later when discussing his unique gun with a shooting chum, to find that he, also, had a Webley Eclipse serial number 0001. This was because the then Webley management had decided to make the model more collectable by simply having 10 samples – all with the serial number 0001!"
The link between Webley & Scott and Lord Lichfield continues to this day, in that the company currently produces a premier over and under sporting game shot gun simply designated “The Lichfield”
"helplessly they stare at his tracks......."