Grandpa's revolver - reprise

[Deadeye]

True story - and nothing to do with the other thread apart from the title, whish as you will see, was too good to pass up.

We moved to our current home a long time ago...and the removal people broke or mislaid several things. One of the things missing was the pendulum weight from the grandfather clock. Now, this clock isn't fine furniture, but it was handmade my my grandfather and passed to me by my grandmother, so I felt an obligation to get it mended.

My wife took it to a clocksmith not too far away and explained that we needed a new pendulum weight.

He called the next day to say that when he'd carried it into the workshop, there was a thudding rattle in the base - which he thought might be the weight that had slipped down a gap in the casing inside. When he opened it he found a loaded (!) WW1 revolver and leather bag of bullets. All the bullets were heavily blown - and I have no idea how stable whatever gunpowder decompses to is. He kindly disarmed it whilst we picked our chins up off the floor.

We then took the gun to a police station. That was rather strange - I was a bit nervous walking in and announcing that I wanted to hand in a firearm.

That's it really - my grandfather had served in the war and it appears had secreted his pistol in the clock case. It seems he'd never told my grandmother.

Wind forward and I find myself putting small items in any voids of houses we leave or things I make. I like to think of them being discovered down the line.

 

[Cabinetman]

Well done grandfather, you never know when you might just need that bit of extra protection, I can quite understand why he didn’t tell his wife ha ha
My mother who died about 10 years ago was starting to lose it, and also lost a rather nice solid gold bracelet which she was scouring the house for, it stirred a memory and yes there it was hidden in the base of the grandfather clock. Happy days.
I can imagine your feelings walking into a police station with a revolver and bullets, ok if there is a surrender period in force, (it’s got a name but I can’t think of it) but not so good otherwise! Also they will possibly check to see if it’s been used in a crime – though a bit doubtful in this case. Ian
Edit It used to be a tradition when installing a staircase that a coin was put into the bottom of the socket before the newl post was fitted.

 

[Andrewf]

I have my grandparents, grandmother clock. Smaller than a grandfather clock and clock face is different. Was always used to store my grandfather's guns. You can see the marks on the inside from where they were leant.

 

[JoeSheffer]

Come on then...let's see some pictures.

 

[mikej460]

Wind forward and I find myself putting small items in any voids of houses we leave or things I make. I like to think of them being discovered down the line.

What, like the odd hand grenade or bazooka?

 

[johnny]

my Father started to lose his mind many years ago and was convinced that people were coming into the house and stealing things . What was happening was he was hiding things for safety and then forgetting where he had hid it or even forgetting he had hid anything at all
He told me that he had also squirreled away lots of money under the floor boards and in the walls and other places.

When I eventually took him to my home to care for him I did have a look around his house and found an odd £50 here and £100 there and his late Wife's gold and diamond rings in shirt pockets etc but without destroying the house and clearing all the furniture it would have been impossible to find all of it so I told the buyer if he was prepared to buy the house fully furnished and clear the house I would accept his offer .

I have no idea how much money might have been hidden in the house that the buyer would have found.......