GORINCHEM – Two rusty firearms with matching bayonets and a sabre are an unusual gift from a resident of the city to the Gorcum MuseumExperts believe they are definitely worth preserving.
Weapons from the Gorcum harbour
The weapons – a rifle, a carbine and an officer's sabre – were found some 25 years ago during dredging work in the Gorcum Vluchthaven, just outside the city. That is certain, but how they ended up in private hands is not clear. In any case, Martin Veen of the municipal depot for soil finds in Gorinchem received a phone call one day from museum director Rob Kreszner who informed him of the special donation. And now the weapons are in the depot.
Germans
"“We will certainly preserve them to prevent their condition from deteriorating,” says Veen. In front of him lie the firearms that must once have rested in the hands of Dutch soldiers. They were most likely thrown into the water after the Netherlands surrendered to the Germans in May 1940. “That seems a logical explanation, but of course we can no longer prove it.” The rifle and the carbine both bear the factory mark Hembrug, the then national arms factory near Amsterdam. A year is displayed next to the name. This shows that the rifle must have been made in 1905, the carbine was manufactured thirteen years later. Both weapons were the standard in the Dutch army until 1940. The sabre is much older and was made somewhere between 1813 and 1905. It probably only had a symbolic function. This is evident from research by Dr. Arjen Bosman, a military expert from Dordrecht. The municipal depot for soil finds has hired him because of the special nature of the find. "He is an authority in the field of 20th century Dutch military history," says Veen.
Mud
Despite their rusty appearance, the weapons are in good condition. "Especially when you consider that they have been lying in the mud on the bottom of the harbour for almost half a century. It is precisely because of that mud that corrosion has been limited. Even parts of the leather straps have been preserved. The carbine even still has its wooden stock. That is missing from the rifle." Bosman advises having the weapons restored. They are not rare, but because of their anecdotal value. "We have little historical material from the Second World War. And that while Gorinchem has a long military history," says Veen.
Anja Broeken
AD Rivierenland
19 – 9‑2013