A Selection of NSW Colonial Police Arms

By Mal Southwell & John Newton

SPENCER CARBINE

Civil War Model, aka the Model of 1860 – lever action .52 calibre (56-56 rim-fire) seven shot repeating cavalry carbine.

The illustrated arm is one of four known surviving NSW Police Spencer carbines. This particular carbine, marked NSWP over 7 on the LHS of the butt, is serial no. 41804, and is most likely one of 20 included in the second batch of carbines smuggled to Australia in contravention of a ban on the export of arms and munitions from the US during the American Civil War. The sailing ship Warrior arrived at Port Melbourne on 7/5/1865 carrying the carbines (and 8000 cartridges) in four crates marked “hardware”. The NSW Police had purchased the entire shipment after earlier acquiring five carbines from the first shipment of about 50 smuggled carbines, which had arrived in Melbourne on the Lady Duff erin in September 1864 in crates labelled “castings”.

The importer of the carbines, Maguire and Co of Melbourne, sold 25 from the first shipment to the Victoria Police. In agreeing to sell the carbines to Maguire, the Spencer Co had violated not only the US ban on the export of arms and munitions, but also an agreement to sell its entire production to the US government. The first two acquired by NSW were on-sold by the Victoria Police to enable assessment by the NSW force, who at the time were seeking weapons for use in the hunt for the Hall/Gilbert gang of bushrangers.

Although most of the carbines arrived too late to be deployed against Hall and Gilbert they were extensively issued for escort and other special duties. At least one was issued to special constables hunting the Clarke gang in 1867.

It appears that about 40 carbines were purchased in total - other surviving carbines known to date are serial nos. 28359 (unmarked), 43532 (NSWP 17) and 50297 (NSWP 13). The highest recorded police no. is “33”. At least one carbine was unmarked.

NSW 1st MODEL CONSTABULARY PISTOL

The ordnance Pattern 1842 pistol was produced in various configurations, principally those known to collectors as sea service pistols (.577 cal, belt hook, lanyard ring), and customs and coast guard pistols. The constabulary pistol is an example of the latter - carbine bore (.65 inch) with lanyard swivel. NSW examples have been noted with locks dated 1843 and 1846.

The illustrated pistol, marked MP 67, was one of those issued to replace the flintlock pistols carried by mounted police troopers up until 1845. Each trooper carried two pistols retained in holsters strapped either side of their saddles. Marked examples are quite rare.

CALISHER AND TERRY CARBINE

Capping breech loader, bolt action, 30 bore. Along with Colt Navy revolvers and light cavalry swords, these carbines were acquired in 1862 for issue to mounted off icers in the NSW “new police”. The New Police, constituted that year, were formed by combining the existing policing forces of the colony – the Sydney Metropolitan Police, the Sydney Mounted Patrol, the Sydney Water Police, the Detective force, Country Police, Native Police, Gold Police, Escort Police, and Mounted Road Patrols.

The illustrated carbine is one of at least 1000 acquired for the police. A much smaller number were allocated to the Gaols and other authorities - these are believed to be those marked “NSWG” on the trigger guard bow.

Police carbines have a range of markings: most are engraved “NSW” on the trigger guard bow; many are stamped “NSW POLICE’ and/or “P” on the stock; some are stamped on the stock with the mark of London retailer “HEBBERT & CO”; and they had various alpha-numeric police marks engraved on the butt plate tang identifying the individual arm. Many are also stamped “NSW” above a rack no. on the stock.

ALEXANDER HENRY CARBINES

Between 1871 and 1881 the NSW government acquired thousands of falling breech block Alexander Henry arms for the military, gaols and police. They included long rifles, short rifles, artillery carbines, and two models of police carbine. The 1st model police carbine was chambered for the centre fire 450 straight case short chamber Henry cartridge, and the 2nd was chambered for the 577/450 Martini Henry cartridge. Unlike the 1st model, the 2nd model has a barrel band.

The illustrated 1st model carbine, (above) police no. 26, is one of 100 acquired. They were received in 1874 and distributed to the various police districts. It was intended that one would be issued to each district head station, and one to each sergeant in charge of a gold escort – District Superintendents could “suggest the number desirable for use in their districts, and the purpose for which required”. No.26 was one of nine despatched to the Superintendent of the Western District at Bathurst for distribution as he saw fit. The 2nd model carbine illustrated, (below) police no 349, is one of 600 acquired between 1878 and 1881 for general issue to mounted police. This carbine was issued to the North Western Police District on 11th December 1881. Confusion caused by the issue of similar carbines chambered for diff erent ammunition resulted in the withdrawal from service of 1st model carbines in 1885.

The variety of arms issued to police in the 1870s is demonstrated by the arms carried by Murray District off icers engaged against Captain Moonlight and his gang at Wantabadgery in 1879. They included: 1st model Alexander Henry carbines; 2nd model Alexander Henry carbines; Calisher and Terry carbines; an Alexander Henry rifle; Adams centrefire revolvers; Colt Navy percussion revolvers; and Deane & Adams percussion revolvers.

SHARPS CARBINE, “BRITISH” MODEL OF 1855

Falling block capping breech loader, 577 cal, Maynard patent tape primer, 19 inch barrel. Butt plate tang marked to the Kings Dragoon Guards Regiment, rack no. 187.

This carbine is one of several with British regimental markings in Australian collections which were part of a Sharps Co. contract to supply 6000 carbines to Britain. Delivered from 1856 to 1858, they were issued to five cavalry regiments which saw service in India following the Mutiny of 1857. Superseded by Westley Richards and Snider Enfield carbines, the majority had been withdrawn from service by 1864, the remainder by 1868. They are rarely encountered today.

Sharps carbines reportedly in the Police Armoury in 1872 may have been surplus “British” carbines, possibly acquired during the bushranger crisis of the 1860s.

The generally worn condition of examples in Australian collections is indicative of hard use in harsh conditions. Of the four examples known to the author, one has an Australian provenance dating back to the 1800s, another, in the same family for four generations, is believed by the family to have been issued to a native tracker at Forbes, and a third, catalogued in the Powerhouse (MAAS) Museum collection as police issue, has a defaced marking, possibly a police mark, on the butt.

COLT REVOLVING RIFLE

Colt 56 calibre percussion military rifle, five shot cylinder, iron furniture. The fore-end of the illustrated example has been cut off at the first barrel band and the barrel has been shortened to 24¼ inches.

This rifle, serial no. 3017, is NSW police no. 13. Returned to the police armoury on Dec 20 1872 from Braidwood, it may have been used there by gold escorts and by troopers hunting miscreants such as the notorious Clarke gang. Another district Colt rifle, serial no. 3189, was taken from Araluen police by the Clarkes in 1866.

A ban on the export of arms and munitions during the American Civil War was relaxed in August 1863 to allow the return of imported arms to their places of origin. By this time Union demand for Colt arms had collapsed as ordnance department preference shifted to cheaper, solid frame Remington revolvers. Demand for Colt revolving rifles had also declined, largely due to the risk of forearm injuries caused by hot gases and solid particles escaping from the cylinder gap. With local sales in decline, Colts took advantage of the relaxed export rules to send back hundreds of arms which they had imported from their London agency early in the war.

The NSW government welcomed the renewed availability of Colt arms in London and purchased hundreds of Navy revolvers, principally for police and gaol issue. They also ordered fifty revolving carbines for the police, who were disappointed to receive instead fifty rifles (plus bayonets), which were considered too heavy and unwieldy for bush work – it appears that many were later shortened to carbine length by police armourers. Received in Feb 1864 they remained in store until November, when an escort off icer was killed by Johnny Gilbert at Jugiong. They were then issued for escort and special service. Arms carried by the police party that killed Ben Hall included three Colt rifles.

Only four police marked survivors are currently known to the author-the highest rack number is 28. There is an unmarked rifle in the Police and Justice Museum which might also be ex-police.

Contemporary photos of police rifles show that some fore-ends were removed, presumably to encourage users to grip the trigger guard with the leading hand when firing, thus avoiding injuries to the forearm.

MARTINI HENRY CARBINE

450/577 cal lever action single shot cavalry carbine manufactured by the Henry Rifled Barrel Engineering and Small Arms Co, London. Unlike other ordnance pattern Martini Henrys, the action body is marked on the left hand side with the royal cypher, manufacturer’s name (HRB Co), and date (1893). A police rack no, “21”, is also on the LHS, with “NSW POLICE” marked to the RHS.

This carbine is one of 100 ordered from London in 1891, and delivered to the police in 1894.

At the time the order was placed NSW was racked by industrial disputes and economic depression. The maritime workers’ strike of 1890, which paralysed the docks, was followed by the shearers’ strike of 1891 and the Broken Hill miners’ strike of 1892. The government called up the military and swore in special volunteer constables to help police confront rioting workers. Other measures taken by the government included the purchase of all commercially available revolvers in Sydney (about 2000) to keep them out of the hands of the striking workers, and to order the 100 Martini Henry carbines for the police.

On at least one occasion, squatters drove wool carts from the metropolitan railhead to the Sydney docks in defiance of a union blockade - they were protected from stone-throwing rioters by hundreds of police and special constables. The special police included mounted men, who provided their own horses and carried police swords, and foot men, who carried police batons - all wore police uniforms and many carried personal revolvers.

The HRB Co Martini Henrys arrived too late to be deployed against the strikers and the generally excellent condition of surviving carbines suggests that they saw little, if any, police service.

Martini Henry Artillery Carbine NSW Gaols Issue / Rack 39

MARTINI HENRY CARBINES

Martini Henry Cavalry Carbine, NSW Gaols Issue / Original Sling

Martini Henry Artillery Carbine, NSW Gaols Issue / Rack 38

MARTINI HENRY CARBINES

Martini Henry Artillery Carbine, NSW Schools & Police Issue

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1. A rare photograph of an armed party of New South Wales Mounted Troopers. The arms carried are a mixed lot of Calisher and Terry carbines and both models of the Henry carbine.

Photograph courtesy “In Defence of Lives and Property” Edgar Penzig. 2. Circa 1880 Mounted Troopers. The native tracker is holding a second model Alexander

Henry carbine.

References 1. Ron Cook, NSW colonial arms, unpublished research. 2. Gordon Byrne, Spencer carbines in Australia, unpublished research 3. John McLean, Australian Heritage Colt Percussion Firearms 4. Phil Patterson, NSW Police Armoury 5. Mal Southwell, Arms of the NSW Police 1862-1900 6. Damian McDonald M.A.A.S 7. Penzig. Edgar “In Defence of Lives and Property