Found a name stamped under the grips of my Colt New Service in .455

STG-44

STG-44

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I recently picked up a Colt New Service in .455 Eley and while i was giving it a once over came across something very interesting. Stamped on the frame under the hand grip was a name.

First things first. The revolver in question.

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And the name: F. Mollard

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I've done a bit of research so far and from what I've found there was only one F. Mollard in the Canadian Military during the first world war.

Frank Thomas Mollard of the 67th Depot Battery, Canadian Field Artillery.
With him being in the field artillery it would make sense for him to have a handgun.

Now, if the revolver turns out to be English issued and not Canadian that complicates things because there was about seven or eight F. Mollards in the British army and I'm having a difficult time finding details on them.

At the moment I'm leaning towards it being Canadian issue though because it seems to be lacking most of the usual stampings from an English issue pistol. But I'm by no means an expert on these old Colts So I was hoping someone here could clear that up for me.

Also, the revolver came with this holster.

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From what I can tell it's marked to the Third Canadian Machine Gun Company.



If anybody has any insight it would be greatly appreciated. I would love to be able find out who the old girl once belonged to.
 
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Looks like standard Brit marks for a New Service to me. I don't believe the Canadian army used in the New Service in .455 (we did in .45 during the Boer War), though the Navy had some, not sure if in .455 or .45 without my books.
 
One of the ways you can find out for sure if it belongs to the Canadian Mollard or the many British ones is to get a Colt factory letter. It is not cheap but it will tell you if the gun was shipped to the English purchasing agent for Colt or to the Canadian government.
 
That gun spent time in the English supply system as it has an RSAF Enfield inspection cartouche on the frame by the hammer. But that doesn't mean much. It basically means the gun was likely bought by the UK government, delivered there, and from then on, who knows? The British War Office allowed officers of the commonwealth to purchase sidearms from government supply during the first world war, provided it fired the available service ammunition.

I'd say the odds are fair a Canadian bought that gun given that it's in Canada and was found in Canadian Pattern 1907 leather.

don't bother with a Colt letter. It's just going to say it was delivered to an government facility in London.

YMMV.
 
I agree with Claven2. The holster is definitely Canadian, and I think it is much more likely that the only F. Mollard in the Canadian Army bought a Colt New Service from the British supply system and it came home with him post war and stayed with its holster all these years than one of the few F. Mollards in the British Army got hold of a Canadian holster and after he got out the gun and holster made its way to the New World.
 
I have a Colt New Service revolver in .455 Eley as well as it's matching Canadian holster. It was own by a LT. Wishart of the Canadian Medical Core. Same thing, has English proofs but was purchased over there. Have a lot of documentation on the man & some from his family that resided in Madoc, Ontario.

Claven is 100% correct in his explanation about your revolver.
 
I wouldn't base the revolver off the holster. That could have been added at any point in time between now and 1918. The revolver has a name, and if the holster had the same regiment I would have agreed but since it doesn't it still leaves it up in the air.

Collecting milsurps generally leaves no definitive answers but this is still a better answer than most get.
 
 
Eaglelord17 said:
I wouldn't base the revolver off the holster. That could have been added at any point in time between now and 1918. The revolver has a name, and if the holster had the same regiment I would have agreed but since it doesn't it still leaves it up in the air.

Collecting milsurps generally leaves no definitive answers but this is still a better answer than most get.
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It was definitely a purchased gun, or it would have discharge markings and/or not be personalized under the grip.

Realistically, if it belonged to one of the chaps in England with the same surname, it likely would not have come to Canada. And if it had come back that way, there is a very good chance it would have commercial nitro proof marks on it somewhere - most years since the end of WW1 have required markings to be added to firearms if exported outside the UK.

When you hear hoof prints, you should think horses, not zebras. I'd assess the probability very high it was the Canadian chap who originally bought it out of Brit stores.

Who knows the story of the holster, but kit was issued around all the time and moved between regiments in the chaos of the western front.
 
Don't forget this was used in the Boer war as well. The initial troops sent over didn't have these but the later units did.

One of my ancestors was a medic during that war. I have a couple pieces from his time there but not the revolver :(
 
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