Nickudu,

This is an extremely interesting piece because because the journal was gifted to a Mr K Orr and talks about a hunt at Secunderabad. Secunderabad is what the British called a cantonment town, a town that had a permanent military base located on it and this is close to Hyderabad, whose Nizam was a strong British ally and once one of the richest men in the world. He lives in Australia these days.

The Orr name is one that Indian gun buffs associate with one of the biggest shops in the South, P Orr and Sons of Madras and Rangoon, a company that, unfortunately, is not as well known as the two others that have become famous - Manton and Rodda. I remember going to their shop as a boy and browsing the guns in their enormous hall. When they closed this section down, every one of the newer gunshops in Madras (the city ahs now been renamed Chennai) came to be owned by it's former employees. These days, sadly, it sells watches and very few really know it's history in India itself. One of the Australian members here even tried to visit them to check their gun collecftion out and learned to his dismay that they did not stock guns anymore and had not for more than 30 years now.

Thanks for this superb post. It brings back memories strong enough to bring a lump in my throat.

Good hunting!

You bastard!!! It's nearly 3 am, I have to work tomorrow, and I find this...

Damn...

another day with too few hours..

Thank you, great stuff.

s

Nickudu,

As always, the treasures you dig up are appreciated!

Erik D.