The history of S. Wright & Sons, Birmingham,is detailed in the book ,"The House of Churchill" by the late Don Masters.[Pages 278-286]The Business was started immediately after WW1 by Sam Wright.The firm made best quality box lock and side lock guns for for the London and provincial trade.London customers included; Holland & Holland ,"The Northwood" and Churchill the "Regal."
Other customers listed in Wrights ledgers included; Hollis, Gallyon, Hinton, Radcliffe, Jeffrey, Dickson ,Hillsdon Rodda, Bland, To name but a few!
In 1960 the business was sold to Interarmco[U.K.] The parent company of Cogswell & Harrison and Churchill.The Wright business ceased making guns for the trade in the circa 1972.After this date the business focused on making the complete range of Churchill box lock guns. I have many memories of Wrights having visited their shop on several occasions ,once to observe Don Masters test boring barrels using the old spill boring method. For the past 40 years my hunting gun of choice has been a best quality 12G box lock ejector was made by Wrights, but bearing the name, K.D.Radcliffe.
The Churchill book contains one of the BEST post WW2 descriptions of the Birmingham gun trade that exists. Many pictures of familiar names are seen in the book, for example, Kirk Merrington, who at the time of the photo was working as a trainee barrel filer at Churchills.
Just to add onto what Roy Hebbes had previously stated above.
The House of Churchill book further states, that Samuel G. Wright started working for the gunmaking firm of Webley & Scott (possibly apprenticed at P Webley & Sons), then moved onto Bentley & Playfair of Summer Lane, followed by Hollis, Bentley & Playfair in 1911. In 1918, immediately following the First World War, Samuel left the employ of Hollis, Bentley & Playfair to start his own business as S. Wright & Sons. He was joined in the business by his eldest son Jack, and later by his younger son Howard.
The book states that Wrights made and sold many wholesale guns for the trade to such gunmakers/retailers as was previously stated. However, it does also state that Wrights did operate their own retail business, making some guns under their own name. Samuel G. Wright died in 1954 (aged 89 yrs.), but the family business carried on with his two sons, Jack and Howard, until being sold in 1960. ‘The House of Churchill’ by Don Masters., pages 278-282.
