Mauser 7 mm bolt action sporting rifle, 1900 (c)

Manufactured by Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken, Berlin.

Used in the Boer War (1899-1902) and given to J S Foerien by President Paul Kruger, this rifle was captured at Vrede in the Orange Free State. In South Africa the British Army were for the first time in opposition to combatants armed with modern European weapons. Mauser rifles were very accurate and sophisticated weapons and British losses were often heavy in set-piece actions against the Boers.

One characteristic of the Boer soldiers, sometimes copied by the English, was their habit of carving names and actions on the woodwork of their weapons. After the war such carved items became much sought after as tourist souvenirs. This weapon has an oval white metal plate inset in the stock that is inscribed 'J.S. Foerien'.