JAMES JULIA (11 & 12 March 2013), Lot 2176. (House estimate: $4,000-$6,000) (SOLD FOR $5,750.00) WESTLEY RICHARDS BEST ANSON DEELEY BOXLOCK GAME WITH TWO SETS OF BARRELS AND ORIGINAL CASE. Serial number 13578 (circa 1882). 12-bore, 2-1/2 inch chambers, 30-inch damascus barrels: one set choked modified and IC, the other full and full. Both sets of barrels are engraved "Westley Richards. 170. New Bond St. ." on concave game ribs. Bottoms of barrels (i.e. the barrel flats) are stamped with black powder proofs. Each barrel is stamped "Not for Ball," except cylinder barrel. Open choke barrels are numbered to gun; full choke barrels are numbered "13867." It was Westley Richards’ policy to assign a new serial number for each set of barrels. Undoubtedly, these two sets though not consecutive were made at the same time. Each case-hardened boxlock action is stamped "Anson & Deeley's Patent" and with use number "4149" on water table. Each action features automatic safety and double triggers. Locking is accomplished with only Westley Richards’ patent top-bolt, and dolls head extension, as found only on earliest Anson Deeley boxlock actions, and much later combined with Purdey’s double under- bolt. Action engraved with nearly full coverage tight, small scroll. "Westley Richards" in scroll, terminating in ribands on each side. Trigger-guard is engraved with pointer and birds on bow, and with scroll and serial number on tang. Well-streaked and lightly figured European walnut straight grip; butt-stock measures 14-3/8 inch, over checkered wood butt, with steel heel and toe plates. Side panels are checkered and have tear-shaped drop points. Flat-top grip checkering is of point pattern with mullered borders. A silver circle on toe line engraved with sovereign’s crown held aloft in a fist (Note: family crest for Robertson Clan, although usually surrounded by belt and buckle) over initials "W. St. L. R." (My research revealed full name to be William St. Leonard Robertson .). Top of gun case embossed: "W. St. L. Robertson." Matching splinter forend has horn tip and Deeley-type release.

Open choke barrels: Bore diameter: left .731, right .731. Bore restrictions: left .025 (modified), right .000 (cylinder), wall thickness: left .032, right .031. Open choke barrels have considerable interior scattered pitting, smidgen of looseness, and are slightly off- face. Other: Butt-stock’s drop-at-heel: 1-15/16 (or “1-7/8”) inches, drop-at-comb: 1-1/2 (or “1-7/16”) inches. No. 1 gun set: weight 6 lbs. 14 oz. Length-of-pull is 14-3/8 inches.

Full choke barrels: bore diameter: left .734, right .734, bore restrictions: left .037, right . 035, wall thickness: left .032, right .029. Full choke barrels have a few pits in right barrel toward breech. Full choke barrels are on-face. Other: Butt-stock drop-at-heel: 1-7/8 inches, drop-at-comb: 1-7/16 inches. No. 2 gun set: weight 6 lbs. 12 oz. Length-of-pull is 14-3/8 inches.

Maker’s original oak and leather case, with brass corners and sliding brass secondary locks, is lined in green baize with three labels on lid. One has instructions for cleaning, another instructions for using, and the third central label is normal Westley Richards trade label with Prince of Wales plume. Case is partitioned for both barrel sets, contains 3- piece brass and ebony cleaning rod, brass and ebony James Dixon 12-bore chamber brush, and a 12-bore Tomlinson bore cleaner in original box. CONDITION: Fine. Original as found. Barrels retain 60-90% original brown. Open choke barrels show most wear and use. Action retains considerable amount of original case hardening color in protected areas, and is mostly a gray to brown. Stocks retain most of their original oil finish with numerous handling marks and light scratches. Checkering slightly worn. Bores are fine. Case leather is dark, stained, and rubbed, but handle missing. Replaced straps are good. Interior cloth is considerably soiled and marked from contact with barrels and gun, and has a bit of dust and mold. Labels are oil soaked, and dark brown, with some rubs. Accessories are very fine. Nice handling old gun. (NOTE: “St. Leonards” is in New South Wales, Australia—and is a suburb of Sydney, Australia.) A brief Google search shows most probable original owner was a member of the Oxford rowing team, who most likely immigrated to Australia in the 1880's. 4-48144 MGM158. James Julia ad’: REVISED: 3/8/2013 ~ This is not a modern gun.

Potential Buyer’s Note: Robertson matriculated Oxford 22 October 1884.

AND FROM THE:

Oxford Men, 1880-1892, with a record of their schools, honours and degrees, published 1892, PRINTED BY STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS, HERTFORD.

These cites:

Robertson, John Ernest, born at Melbourne 10 Jan. 1868; 2s. William, gen. Wadham, matnc. 25 April, 88, aged 20 (from Geelong gr. school, Aus- tralia); brother of William St. Leonards.

Robertson, William St. Leonards, born at Hobart, Rasmania (i.e. Hobart Town, Tasmania), 6 March 1864; is. William, gen. Wadham (i.e. Wadham College, Oxford), matric. 22 Oct., 84, aged 20 (from Geelong gr. school); in university eight 86; brother of John Ernest (Robertson).

William St Leonards Robertson (b. 1864) William St Leonards Robertson (son of William Robertson and Martha Mary Murphy) was born 1864 in 'The Hill', Victoria, Australia

Boer War, 1899 - 1902, Australian Forces, 4th Battalion Australian Commonwealth Horse, Victoria, Nominal Roll…

4th ACH (Vic)

4th Australian Commonwealth Horse, Victoria Nominal Roll— In 1911, -Colonel P. L. Murray, produced a marvelous Boer War reference detailing all the contingents sent from Australia to , giving a brief history of the formation and finally, listing all the soldiers who saw service in South Africa with that unit. The book titled: “Official Records of the Australian Contingents to the War in South Africa.” It is now the standard reference and starting place for any person interested in pursuing information about Australian involvement in the Boer War.

Murray, P. L., Official Records of the Australian Military Contingents to the War in South Africa, pp. 319 - 323.

4th Australian Commonwealth Horse (Vic)…one cite as follows:

…“Lieutenant William St. Leonard ROBERTSON”…

Lt. ROBERTSON’S SON, THE SPYMASTER…

Title: Gentleman spymaster's life of intrigue and courage

By: Malcolm Robertson

From: The Australian, 8 January 2011 William (Bill) Robertson, who has died aged 93, had just the right mixture of personal attributes to be successful at all three of these careers, any one of which would be beyond most of us.

Deeply admired by all who knew him for his leadership qualities and his tenacity, Robertson was by nature a private man, but one who was able to combine these tough traits with personal charm to claim some remarkable achievements over his long and interesting life.

Prominent among these was his role in the establishment of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service in 1952 and its operation over the next 25 years, for which he was made a Commander of the in 1976.

His service in the Australian Army during World War II earned him two Mentions in Dispatches, an Order of the British Empire, the Military Cross and the French Legion of Honour. In addition, before the war, he had managed to reach the pinnacle of sporting achievement by rowing at Oxford University and for the London Rowing Club in 1938 and 1939.

However, it was his life as a spymaster that is perhaps the most intriguing. Robertson's career in intelligence probably began earlier than the records show, but after being demobbed from the army in 1947 with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he was quickly recruited from his post-war civilian job with steel company John Lysaght in Wollongong by Alfred Brookes, the first director of ASIS, to help him with a study of the intelligence role of MI6 in Britain. Brookes’ plan was to recommend to Prime Minister Robert Menzies that a similar organisation be established in Australia.

Their recommendations were accepted and by 1952, ASIS had been covertly set up. The organisation's existence was known only to a handful of people although, interestingly, when Robertson was doing his initial training at MI6 he met the Russian double agent Kim Philby. Speculation is that the Russians probably knew of ASIS's establishment before anyone else. Robertson served first as deputy director and then director, and is remembered as much for his capable management and leadership skills as for his ability to gather and assess intelligence.

Although this chapter in his life ended in controversy in 1975 when the then prime minister, Gough Whitlam, terminated his appointment in a fit of rage during the turbulent final few weeks of his own tenure in 1975, Robertson's role in developing Australia's intelligence capability was widely admired by those who knew about the service. He continued to be a highly respected member of the intelligence community until his death. His story was featured in a cover article by Max Suich in Inquirer in 2009.

Robertson's dismissal by Whitlam was almost as covert as his original recruitment and attracted no publicity until sometime later, but the change of government opened the way for him to become closely involved as an adviser to a royal commission, set up earlier by Whitlam and headed by Mr. Justice Hope, which was inquiring into Australia's security and intelligence operations. Robertson's work with the commission earned him the respect of the commissioner, and in the final report ASIS was accorded valuable praise for the work it had been doing. The actions of ASIS and Robertson in the lead-up to his dismissal had been vindicated and his CBE was announced in the 1976 Queen's birthday honours.

Robertson returned to government service in 1978 when Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser appointed him to head a new institution to co-ordinate anti-terrorism intelligence and training among federal and state authorities, the Protective Services Co-ordination Centre. Apparently, Fraser had been alarmed at how easily he had been mobbed by angry students at Monash University while under the protection of state police. At that time, the states were responsible for the security for visiting dignitaries and Fraser's unpleasant experience led him to initiate the change to a national organisation. In a way, Robertson's appointment to the PSCC was the new government's way of saying sorry.

Robertson's interest in intelligence and the military began early in his life. His father, (Lt. Col.) William St. Leonard Robertson, O.B.E., had served with the Australian Light Horse in the Boer War and went on to make a career of the military, including being the Director of Army Remounts from 1912 until he retired in 1929.

Robertson joined the school cadets at Melbourne Grammar School, which he attended from 1923 to 1936, and by the time he left school, he had received a full commission as a lieutenant in Australia's Citizen Military Forces.

He followed family tradition to attend Wadham College at Oxford University where he read chemistry and mathematics but was probably more focused on his rowing, another family tradition. His rowing was more successful than his studies (in fact, poor results meant he was almost obliged to leave the college in 1939).

At the outbreak of hostilities Robertson returned to Australia to enlist with the Australian Infantry Forces. Five months later his battalion disembarked in Egypt and Robertson took part in the early battles of the Western Desert. During the battle for Tobruk, he was injured by an Italian shell and left for dead on the battlefield.

He rejoined his battalion in time to embark with them for northern Greece -- just as the main German attack began in March 1941. He earned his Military Cross during the battle of Veve Pass. He and his men were embarked on the last ship out of port when they were sunk by a German bomb. Robertson was picked up by a British destroyer.

At the start of the Japanese war in March 1942, Robertson's division returned to Australia, and it was on the ship home that he met Charles Spry, and they became life- long friends. Later, Spry, the newly appointed head of ASIO, would recommend him to Alfred Brookes when Brookes was looking for help in his proposal to Menzies for an Australian international spy agency. In 1944, Robertson was posted to the , arriving in time for the Normandy landing and he remained at the front in Europe until relieved in December 1944. He was one of the first Australian officers to land and endured six months of solid fighting through Europe. He remained in London until the war was over.

Robertson continued to advise on security issues following his retirement in 1982, setting up a consultancy to work with other intelligence and security experts.

In recent years, Robertson found more time to devote to his family history and his love of art, though he never lost his interest in national and international affairs.

His great grandfather, also William Robertson, had arrived in Hobart in 1822 and, as a member of the Port Phillip Association, which enlisted John Batman to sail to Port Phillip and negotiate a treaty with the local Aborigines, had been instrumental in opening up land around Port Phillip Bay. Robertson had inherited many family papers dating back to these times, and keenly developed links and shared information with other family historians in Australia and overseas. His interest in colonial Australian art stemmed from a collection of fine family portraits by the artists Thomas Bock and Robert Dowling.

Robertson married Jean King-Spark in London on October 31, 1946, and is survived by their two children, Johnnie and Fiona, 5 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. His contribution to Australia has been enormous and he will be missed.

Malcolm Robertson is a freelance writer based in Canberra. His great-grandfather and Bill Robertson's father were brothers. Both served together in the Boer War and had military careers.

Regarding the father of William St. Leonard, the subject gun’s owner

William Robertson (Australian settler) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William Robertson (7 October 1798 – 18 January 1874) was an Australian pastoralist.

Born in Scotland and emigrating to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) he rose to prominence by becoming a member of the Port Phillip Association, which led to the first European settlement of Victoria. He also explored the Western District of Victoria in the company of Joseph Gellibrand and William Buckley.

In 1834 he married Margaret Whyte of Berwick, Scotland, and they had four sons and three daughters. Robertson died on 18 January 1874, predeceased by his wife and a daughter; his extensive Colac property was divided equally between his sons, John (1837-1875), William (1839-1892), George Pringle (1842-1895) and James (1848-1890).

Robertson listed at 141 in the All-Time Australian Rich List with a wealth of $1.83 billion (2004 estimate).

From the Highland Monthly, A Magazine, forming a Centre of Literary Brotherhood for Scoto-Celtic People both at Home and Abroad, Volume One, 1889-90, See Correspondence, at page 637:

“Dear Sir,—In the last number of your Magazine, one of the Robertson Clan seeks information as to the origin of the crest of a Hand holding up a Crown. This was acquired on an occasion of much importance to our belief in this way. One of the murderers of James the First at Perth was Graham, who fled to Athol, and, being pursued presumably by the Clan Donnachaidh, was taken prisoner in the Moor of Invervack where he was caught sheltering under a projecting rock on the bank of a burn that flows into Loch Vack. The spot is still well-known to every one about, and the burn is still called ‘Altaghramich,’ ‘Graham’s Burn.’ The Chief, then Robert Macconnachy, took his prisoner to Perth, and delivered him over to James the Second, who rewarded him by giving him a royal charter for all his extensive possessions in Athole and Rannoch, which he till then held by right of conquest and continuous possession from remote ages. Some facts connected with this incident are recorded in the first volume of the Iona Club, where it occurs in the then published records of an old religious community whose home was near Perth. From this chief the surname of Robertson was taken; for in this very document he is called Duncanson or Macconnachy. This Robert seems to have had but little regard for the Church, as on his way home from Perth he was met at the Tor Hill near Dunkeld by a man named Forester, a nephew of the Bishop of Dunkeld, who apprehended him for the injury done his uncle, the Bishop, and challenged him to fight, which he did, and the Chief was so severely wounded that he only lived to reach his Castle, near Struan, where he soon died. The crest of the clan before this occurrence was a ‘Sleeping Dog,’ with the motto, ‘Dinna Wauken Sleepin Dogs.’ Perhaps you will kindly convey this information to your correspondent, and oblige.—Yours very truly, W. S. IRVINE. Craigatin, Pitlochry, N.B., 11th Dec., 1889.”

From The General Armory of , Scotland, and Wales, Comprising a Registry of Armorial Bearings from the Earliest to the Present Time, Volume 3, by Sir Bernard Burke, C.B., LL.D., Ulster King of Arms—

“Robertson (Strowan, co, Perth, Chief of the Clan Donnochie; descended from the ancient Earls of Athol, sprung from DUNCAN, King of Scotland, son of MALCOLM CANMORE. Of this ancient and ancient Clan was ALEXANDER ROBERTSON, of Strowan, alike distinguished as a poet and as the partisan of the Stuarts in the rising of 1690, 1715, and 1745. Gu. Three wolves’ heads erased ar. Crest—a dexter hand erect, holding an imperial crown all ppr. Duncan, son of Robert, Chief of the Clan, having with great courage and intrepidity apprehended the murderers of James I of Scotland, James II granted his family for crest, the hand supporting the regal crown, and for motto, ‘Virtutis gloria merces.’ The man in chains, lying under the escutcheon of the arms, was also adopted in commemoration of this event. Motto—Virtutis gloria merces (or “Glory, the Reward of Valor;”), and on a compartment under the arms, a wild man chained ppr.” Clan Donnachaidh/Clan Robertson Crest badge

Crest: A dexter hand holding up an imperial crown Proper Motto: Virtutis gloria merces (i.e.: “Glory, the reward of Valor”) War cry: Garg 'nuair dhùisgear (i.e.: “Fierce when roused”)