The personal armoury of Sir Winston Churchill

Military weapons, guns and rifles for field sports and presentation pieces make up the remarkable collection of the Army officer turned statesman

- MARK MURRAY-FLUTTER

Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874-1965), one of the 20th century’s most important figures and one of Britain’s most influential national leaders, was also an enthusiastic shot and sportsman. He purchased, was given and used a range of firearms during his military, political and sporting career. His extensive personal armoury included pistols, rifles, shotguns and a number of sub-machine guns. Little has been written about – or is known about – Churchill’s personal armoury; this article intends to correct that omission.

The number and type of weapons grew over time, not only by ones personally acquired but also through gifts made to him while serving in public office. By his death in January 1965 Churchill had acquired and used at least 24 weapons but, at his death, only 17 were known as surviving in his personal armoury, including his favourite pair of Woodward shotguns and his trusty Mannlicher rifle, plus some weapons relating to his military career.

Churchill saw military service in India, the Sudan, South Africa and on the Western Front in World War I. While serving in these theatres he carried and used a variety of pistols and revolvers. The earliest pistol we know of was a .455in Webley-Wilkinson Model 1892 revolver, probably acquired in early 1894 during his cadetship at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He used it during his service on the North-West Frontier of India, an area of perpetual conflict known to the Army as the ‘Zone’, when serving with the 4th Hussars in 1896 and the revolver remained with him until his death in 1965. The Imperial War Museum acquired it in 1997.