THE MARTINI HENRY.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 13th May 2014, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norman McCormick

Hi,
Muscat Martini cal .303., reputedly for the Sultan of Muscat's Camel Corps.
Regards,
Norman.

Photos, Highwood Classic Arms.

Salaams Norman... Thats a fine bit of kit... my Martini 303s look like they went in to bat against Boudicea... Yours is in pristine condition and has superb woodwork.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 14th May 2014, 04:22 PM

See http://www.klm-mra.be/icomam/downloads/issue07.pdf for general background on Martini Henry in Oman etc

Pieje · 15th May 2014, 04:26 PM

Hi all, I accidentally came by an interesting 15 pages long article “Les Martini-Henrys de Mascate. Le commerce des armes à Oman 1900-1914”…in French, but translated from Wilsey, R. Martinis from Muscat. The Arms Trade in Oman 1900-1914 published in Classic Arms and Militaria (n°XIX, fasc. 4 & 5). Here some images I scanned…

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 15th May 2014, 04:59 PM

Salaams Pieje, Great pictures !!! Westley Richards... I handled one once... It has that peculiar second switch at the left ...I think for safety...can't remember...Bayt Rudaydah has the small arms museum in it...I will visit there. The Turkish, Lee Enfield, Peabody and other marks are very nice to see...

Thanks for showing those...More !!!!

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 16th May 2014, 03:04 PM

In another report from the same source as #34 there are interesting notes on abu futtila and Martini Henry as well as on cannon (which I have recorded on the Omani Cannon thread) viz;

By M Najmuz Zafar
January 22, 2013
Muscat - Bayt Rudaydah Birkat al Mooz..

Quote''The centre houses 24 of the most treasured matchlocks of the Royal Armouries of the UK, which are on loan to Oman, apart from small arms like abu futilla (matchlock muskets) and the somma (Martini Henry) from around the Sultanate.

The entire collection of small arms at the centre was showcased to the delegates who had come from around the world at the conference of the International Committee for Museums of Arms and Military History (ICOMAM) held in Nizwa in October 2012. The delegates vouched for the collection’s uniqueness and variety, said Christopher Roads, who manages the centre at Bait ar Rudaydah.

“Oman's position is unmatched in terms of its vast reservoir of historical military arms,” said Roads, who has been in the country for the last 15 years and has contributed in restoring thousands of small arms, cannons and carriages that form the pride of Oman’s forts and castles. Roads said the conference helped shed new light on Omani firearms. “Till now it was believed that Omani matchlocks found around the coast had Portuguese origin, but that theory could not be verified directly.

However, after visiting Bait ar Rudaydah, one of the experts at the conference suggested that the matchlocks from the coasts could have European-German origin. This could be an interesting feature for a new research.” The matchlock which constitutes the vital link will be on show in the proposed limited viewings. According to Roads, another leading world expert who attended the conference said that one of the rarest cannons of British origin is present in Oman.

“The cannon belongs to the English Commonwealth era, which was from 1649 to 1660. After Charles II came back to power in 1660, he ordered defacing of all arms and cannons which had the conjoined shields of England and Scotland from the Commonwealth era. The cannon in Oman could be one of the only two known to exist from the period.

But this needs to be verified through tests before making a final judgement.” Roads believes that Oman has an amazing collection of muzzle-loading cannons and carriages from more than ten countries. “There are 27 different carriages at Barka Castle and Al Hazm Fort and there are plans to add another six. With Iberian cannon and carriages, the variety in Al Hazm far exceeds those existing in Spain and Portugal combined together.”

Roads said there is immense tourism potential in the sector. “There are about 2mn European and American travellers interested in military history, and if we want them to come to Oman we should preserve the military heritage in its original form.”Unquote.

Norman McCormick · 16th May 2014, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

... my Martini 303s look like they went in to bat against Boudicea...

Scary lady, a bit like my wife, possibly a bigger calibre needed, perhaps something from your Forts of Oman.

My Regards,
Norman

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 18th May 2014, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norman McCormick

Scary lady, a bit like my wife, possibly a bigger calibre needed, perhaps something from your Forts of Oman.

My Regards,
Norman

Salaams Norman,
Or like Mons Meg the great old cannon from your castle in Edinburgh !!
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 8th June 2014, 05:09 PM

The details at http://www.martinihenry.com/faq.htm are interesting...particularly on the Khyber version...etc.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 6th June 2016, 11:17 AM

As a general addition of text to a picture I posted a while ago and an excuse to fire the Martini Henry back into discussions~ For those not familiar with the weapon please see http://www.martinihenry.com/

A RARE EUROPEAN GOLD AND SILVER WIRE-INLAID SPORTING RIFLE FOR THE OTTOMAN MARKET, 19TH CENTURY

The Martini-Henry rifle with slender barrel of cast steel and wooden sighting plate with gold wire-inlaid floral motifs, the wood stock and butt plate with silver wire-inlaid ornamentation, wood butt plate also comprises carving of military devices.

Martini rifles were supplied to the Ottoman forces in large numbers. Following the victory of the Prussians in Europe in 1866, the Ottomans instituted major military reforms inaugurated by Hussein Avni Pasha in 1869. As a result, in the war against Russia in 1877-8, Ottoman troops
were armed with Martini Henry and Snider rifles as well as the new metal cartridge which the Russians did not yet possess.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 7th June 2016, 10:59 PM

Below Henry+11th+Hussars+Gordon+Relief+Expedition in the black and white photo.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 4th January 2017, 09:39 PM

For a fascinating paper on how the flow of guns developed in Arabia in the late 19thC. with some emphasis on Martini Henrys but involving politics and intrigue at the time and a distilled appreciation of the bigger regional picture ...

see http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cg...en_access_etds

The author suggests collusion in using the slave trade to mask the ever growing arms trade used to import huge amounts of rifles through Arabia for Afghanistan among other recipients...

6th June 2016, 11:17 AM	#9
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	As a general addition of text to a picture I posted a while ago and an excuse to fire the Martini Henry back into discussions~ For those not familiar with the weapon please see http://www.martinihenry.com/ A RARE EUROPEAN GOLD AND SILVER WIRE-INLAID SPORTING RIFLE FOR THE OTTOMAN MARKET, 19TH CENTURY The Martini-Henry rifle with slender barrel of cast steel and wooden sighting plate with gold wire-inlaid floral motifs, the wood stock and butt plate with silver wire-inlaid ornamentation, wood butt plate also comprises carving of military devices. Martini rifles were supplied to the Ottoman forces in large numbers. Following the victory of the Prussians in Europe in 1866, the Ottomans instituted major military reforms inaugurated by Hussein Avni Pasha in 1869. As a result, in the war against Russia in 1877-8, Ottoman troops were armed with Martini Henry and Snider rifles as well as the new metal cartridge which the Russians did not yet possess. Attached Images

7th June 2016, 10:59 PM	#10
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Below Henry+11th+Hussars+Gordon+Relief+Expedition in the black and white photo. Attached Images

14th May 2014, 04:22 PM	#2
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	See http://www.klm-mra.be/icomam/downloads/issue07.pdf for general background on Martini Henry in Oman etc

15th May 2014, 04:26 PM	#3
Pieje Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Belgium Posts: 132	Hi all, I accidentally came by an interesting 15 pages long article “Les Martini-Henrys de Mascate. Le commerce des armes à Oman 1900-1914”…in French, but translated from Wilsey, R. Martinis from Muscat. The Arms Trade in Oman 1900-1914 published in Classic Arms and Militaria (n°XIX, fasc. 4 & 5). Here some images I scanned… Attached Images

15th May 2014, 04:59 PM	#4
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Salaams Pieje, Great pictures !!! Westley Richards... I handled one once... It has that peculiar second switch at the left ...I think for safety...can't remember...Bayt Rudaydah has the small arms museum in it...I will visit there. The Turkish, Lee Enfield, Peabody and other marks are very nice to see... Thanks for showing those...More !!!! Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

16th May 2014, 03:04 PM	#5
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	In another report from the same source as #34 there are interesting notes on abu futtila and Martini Henry as well as on cannon (which I have recorded on the Omani Cannon thread) viz; By M Najmuz Zafar January 22, 2013 Muscat - Bayt Rudaydah Birkat al Mooz.. Quote''The centre houses 24 of the most treasured matchlocks of the Royal Armouries of the UK, which are on loan to Oman, apart from small arms like abu futilla (matchlock muskets) and the somma (Martini Henry) from around the Sultanate. The entire collection of small arms at the centre was showcased to the delegates who had come from around the world at the conference of the International Committee for Museums of Arms and Military History (ICOMAM) held in Nizwa in October 2012. The delegates vouched for the collection’s uniqueness and variety, said Christopher Roads, who manages the centre at Bait ar Rudaydah. “Oman's position is unmatched in terms of its vast reservoir of historical military arms,” said Roads, who has been in the country for the last 15 years and has contributed in restoring thousands of small arms, cannons and carriages that form the pride of Oman’s forts and castles. Roads said the conference helped shed new light on Omani firearms. “Till now it was believed that Omani matchlocks found around the coast had Portuguese origin, but that theory could not be verified directly. However, after visiting Bait ar Rudaydah, one of the experts at the conference suggested that the matchlocks from the coasts could have European-German origin. This could be an interesting feature for a new research.” The matchlock which constitutes the vital link will be on show in the proposed limited viewings. According to Roads, another leading world expert who attended the conference said that one of the rarest cannons of British origin is present in Oman. “The cannon belongs to the English Commonwealth era, which was from 1649 to 1660. After Charles II came back to power in 1660, he ordered defacing of all arms and cannons which had the conjoined shields of England and Scotland from the Commonwealth era. The cannon in Oman could be one of the only two known to exist from the period. But this needs to be verified through tests before making a final judgement.” Roads believes that Oman has an amazing collection of muzzle-loading cannons and carriages from more than ten countries. “There are 27 different carriages at Barka Castle and Al Hazm Fort and there are plans to add another six. With Iberian cannon and carriages, the variety in Al Hazm far exceeds those existing in Spain and Portugal combined together.” Roads said there is immense tourism potential in the sector. “There are about 2mn European and American travellers interested in military history, and if we want them to come to Oman we should preserve the military heritage in its original form.”Unquote.

8th June 2014, 05:09 PM	#8
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	The details at http://www.martinihenry.com/faq.htm are interesting...particularly on the Khyber version...etc. Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

4th January 2017, 09:39 PM	#11
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	For a fascinating paper on how the flow of guns developed in Arabia in the late 19thC. with some emphasis on Martini Henrys but involving politics and intrigue at the time and a distilled appreciation of the bigger regional picture ... see http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cg...en_access_etds The author suggests collusion in using the slave trade to mask the ever growing arms trade used to import huge amounts of rifles through Arabia for Afghanistan among other recipients...