There's an interesting story about how this gun came to be in my hands. An Australian walked into a small gunshop in New Zealand and asked for some Super-X for his old double. For those that don't know it, Super-X is fairly strongly loaded. The gunshop owner asked him what it was for, and finding that the shotgun was in the back of his old ute, to bring it in. He said, "This old gun should only use 2,1/2" shells. I have some at home. If you call back tomorrow, I'll bring them in". The guy came back and the shop owner said, "If you ever want to sell that gun, let me know".
Seven years later he had a phone call, from an English gent who said, "I hear you want to buy my gun". It was apparently a wedding present in 1941 though his wife had died some years earlier. He worked out the Australian was only loaning it. They agreed on a price and the Englishman hung up. A few days later, the gun turned up in the post to the shop, in it's Rigby case and wrapped in brown paper tied up with waxed string. A few days after that, the phone rings again, "Did you get my gun". The shop owner said, "Don't hang up. Tell me your name and your address". It seems Haywood was his first name. He lived in Auckland, but was presently in a hospital heart ward. It was arranged to send the cheque for the agreed amount to him c/o the heart ward.
The shop owner rang the hospital a few days later to make sure he got the cheque. The nurse said he'd opened the letter but he wasn't well enough to talk and to "call back later". One hour later he was dead. The estate cashed the cheque however. So the the shop owner and the Rigby's original owner never actually met.
This was some years ago, and the vendor (to me) cannot immediately recall the surname. If Rigby in the UK sold it in 1940 to a Col. E.J. O'Meara, that would be Lieut. Col. Eugene John O'Meara, OBE, FRCS, who was a surgeon for many years in the Indian Medical Service. He wrote a book on his exploits in 1935, (which I have on order). I can tell you who O'Meara's, father, mother, brother and grandfather were, but not the names of children from his 3 marriages. He had at least 1 daughter born in India in 1900.
What I do know is that, a relation; Miss Kathleen O'Meara, youngest daughter of Mr & Mrs William C. O'Meara of Exeter, got married in 1941 to Mr Michael Arthur Nagle, R.N. Her wedding present to him was described as "a dispatch case". Could it be....?
There's a few bits missing here, but that's the best I can do in a few days. The missing link is Haywood's surname. I have a few clues to follow up that might explain how this shotgun came to be in Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand.
