Beschreibung:

FORMERLY THE PROPERTY OF AIR COMMODORE CECIL GEORGE "WIGGLES" WIGGLESWORTH C.B. A.F.C. WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. A 12-BORE 'MODEL 21' SINGLE-TRIGGER BOXLOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 20991, 28in. nitro reproved barrels (in 2015), with raised matt rib, 2 3/4in. chambers, bored approx. 1/4 and 1/2 choke, hold-open toplever, automatic safety with gold-inlaid 'SAFE' detail, single-trigger with gold-washed selector button, plain stepped action retaining some original blued finish, 14 1/4in. figured pistolgrip stock (cracked and repaired at head) retaining original Winchester Repeating Arms Co. buttplate, fore-end with roller release catch, weight 7lb. 5oz. Provenance: The vendor has kindly supplied the following history of the gun: "This gun was given to me by my late father-in-law David Cade Wigglesworth, who was the son of Air Commodore Cecil George Wigglesworth. He was a friend of Captain W E Johns and he was affectionately known as "Wiggles" to his friends. Captain W E Johns asked Wiggles if he could use his name for his fictional hero and adventurer character in his books, changing the name slightly to "Biggles". Wiggles, and others, were used as role models in his many books. Wiggles had an illustrious career in the RAF, culminating in him being AOC RAF Iceland & after the war as Air Attache based in Ankara. It was whilst in Turkey that he was duck shooting one evening with an American and was not having much success with his Purdey, that they decided to exchange guns. Wiggles' shooting improved dramatically - so much so that they decided to make the exchange permanent. Wiggles died in 1961 and the gun went to my father-in-law, who was not a shooting man. It has only been used a handful of times in the last 50 years. I have a number of guns that I use and I do not intend to shoot with this one - hence the reason for the sale." Other Notes: Born on the 12th October 1893, Air Commodore Cecil George Wigglesworth began his aviation career in the army before being commissioned as an Airship Pilot with the RNAS on the 6th November 1918. By April 1918 he was a Lieutenant in the RAF and swiftly worked his way up the ranks during his active service in both the First and Second World Wars, attaining the rank of Acting Captain in August 1918, Flying Officer in August 1919, Flight Lieutenant in June 1923, Squadron Leader in April 1933, Wing Commander in July 1937, Group Captain in June 1940 and Air Commodore in 1943 until his retirement in 1949. He passed away in August 1961. Capt. W.E. Johns, born in February 1893 also began his military career in the army as a Private in the King's Own Regiment. As a machine gunner, he fought against the Germans and Turks at Gallipoli and Salonika and also took part in the Spring Offensive in 1917. After contracting malaria he put in for a transfer to the Royal Flying Corps which by the time his transfer had come through had merged with the Royal Naval Air Service and formed the Royal Air Force. He served as a bomber pilot until his being shot down over Mannheim and taken prisoner of war in September 1918. After being repatriated after the War he was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Inspectorate of Recruiting - where having initially rejected an application by a 'John Hume Ross' whom he (correctly) suspected of using a false name, he was overruled by higher authorities and forced to recruit a certain Thomas Edward Lawrence C.B. D.S.O., more popularly known as Lawrence of Arabia. Johns began writing and illustrating aviation articles in 1927 after his commission came to an end. He edited 'The Modern Boy's Book of Aircraft' and 'Wings: A Book of Flying Adventures' in 1931 and illustrated 'The Pictorial Flying Course' and 'Fighting Planes and Aces'. This lead to the creation of the legendary fictional character 'Biggles', to first appear in a short story in 'Popular Flying' Volume 1, No.1 in April 1932. The magazine was indeed popular, with a circulation of 24,500 a month. The demand for Biggles stories