Many Thanks for the info and correction, trw999.
Though it was a typo in the case of "Simia/Simla", it was most definitely NOT in the case of "T/J" Woodward.
T Woodward is in 4 places on the .500 BPE. And the gun was made "expressly for Hamilton Co".
From the information you've provided, I think it possible that after a few nightly refreshments, F B Prike of Rodda (a prominent British name in the gun trade in India) may have convinced Mr Frank Read that he should give it a go and get into the gun trade by having some back alley Birmingham craftsmen put the guns together for Hamilton Co, who imported them to India for sale there.
The "name" for quality was Woodward, but since they weren't the fine guns made by J Woodward they slapped on an erroneous initial, which happened to be the one that looked the most like a "J", to try to pull a fast one on the unsuspecting buyer(s) and grease the rails of sales.
As we know, many lesser guns pulled the same trick, W. Richards of Liverpool being the first to come to mind.
Last edited by Krakow Kid; 04/11/14 10:49 PM.
