German Occupation FN Hi-Power

This powerful photo has always been in my opinion one of most iconic images of the Battle of the Bulge, and the imfamous Ambush at Poteau on .

The full story and remaining images from the photoreal can be found in Jean Pollands hardcover After the Battle Battle of the Bulge Then and Now.

 German 9mm hi-power pistol made in the captured FN factory would have very little interest to me if not for this one photo that has always sparked my interest from the infamous Ambush at Poteau:

The photo inspired me to eventually track down a wartime FN hi-power for my collection. This pistol was produced in 1943 and survives in sharp original condition.  I unfortunately lost this   pistol in a trade for a 1938 Colt and it now resides in a good friends collection.

Inglis Diamond

During the final days of production at the John Inglis factory approximately 50 Inglis Diamonds were produced. These pistols were special because they featured the companies logo engraved on the slide, unlike the standard production models.  It's believed that most if not all of these pistols were given out as gifts to Canadians who greatly contributed to the war effort.

9T3079 is the earliest currently documented example presented to Melville Ross Gooderham who was the president of ManuLife Financial during WWII.

Click here for more Information regarding Melville Ross Gooderham.

9T3619 is from the second known serial range of Inglis Diamonds and has no known provenance.  It is sequential in serial number to the example owned by the Toronto Centre of Forensic Sciences.  I'm interested to finding out who this pistol may have belonged to if anyone has any additional information.

For full details on the Inglis Diamond and the John Inglis hi-power in general, I suggest purchasing the book written by Clive Law titled Inglis Diamond. 

It's time for me to create a new look and direction for my blog

I have not made any news posts on my blog in nearly two years and I've decided it's time to create a new look and focus. 

Since my last post I've graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa and am currently working full time for the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa.  I'm no longer doing any commission work for model companies, and I have no interested in doing this sort of work ever again. My choice to no longer due commission work is due to limited time that I would prefer to spend on my own projects. 

I'm still modeling but lately progress has really been minimal.  My current project is another Kampfgruppe Peiper Panther G but it will be a while before I can make any significant progress.

I have also taken up the hobby of collecting militaria.  My main interest is combat uniforms, equipment, and weapons used by the U.S. Marines in the early battles of WWII.  I also have an interest in U.S. and German militaria used in Normandy.  My ultimate goal is to have nice displays to share with other collectors and compliment my military modeling projects.  

I'm currently working on a new look and format for this blog that will accommodate both military modeling and also collecting. 

W.F. Cooke's Canadian 1914 Contract Colt 1911

I posted this pistol on www.canadiansoldiers.com and received the following information:

"That would be Lieutenant William Forrest Cooke, born Aug 26, 1882 in Hull Quebec. He attested as an Other Ranks solder and was assigned service number 102524, but was discharged almost right away to receive a commission. When he declared (attested) as a Lieutenant on Aug 21, 1915 in the 67th Battalion he was the president of Northern Lumber & Mercantile Co. Ltd. in Prince George B.C. He had previously served as a corporal in the Boer War. During the war he received field promotions to Captain (Oct 23, 1916) and Major (May 12, 1917). He transferred to the 54th Battn for a short time in May 1917, and then transferred to the CFC (167th Battn). He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel Jan 11, 1919, before demobilization. He was awarded the DSO Jan 1, 1918 (London Gazette 30563, dated Mar 8, 1918, pg. 2973), and was twice Mentioned in Despatches in 1917. He appears to have suffered two wounds at different times, but I don't have the details."

Shortly after I was able to do some more serious research using the Archives Canada site and managed to get a copy of Cooke's personal file.

The pistol was purchased from the B.C. near where Cooke would have resided after the war, however I found it interesting to learn he was born very near Ottawa, across the river in Hull, Quebec.

This was my first Canadian 1914 Contract Colt 1911.  I have since picked up some mint examples, but this one has definitely seen action.   This pistol now resides in a friends collection.







For those who are not familiar with Canada's purchase of 5000 1911's in 1914 I would suggest tracking down a copy of Clive Law's book Canadian Military Handguns