mawkie
C&R Whisperer
Stuff always seems to come to me in waves. For instance, I've been searching for an affordable front sight hood and screws for a Ross MKII rifle for over a decade. The last opportunity I had was up on Ebay where I lost the auction and it ended up selling for over $100. So this week I'm trolling the listings and a sight hood comes up with a $69.95 BIN price. Couldn't hit the buy button fast enough. Now my uber rare MKII Military match rifle is complete!
The other item I snagged on Ebay has led me down a fascinating rabbit hole of history. It's a pristine Handbook for The Canadian Service Rifle Ross MKIII printed in Ottawa in 1913. The best part are the two hand written clues inside: "W.H. Boothby" and "122nd Battalion". A search of CEF records online gave me a fantastic look at Sgt. William Henry Boothby's service record with the 122nd Overseas Battalion aka "The Muskoka Boys" which included everything from medical records, pay vouchers ($1 a day!) and disposition. His pre-war vocation as a carpenter probably served him well as the 122nd spent much of its time in France doing forestry work cutting down trees to clear paths for rail and communication lines. I wouldn't be surprised if Sgt Boothby kept his Ross considering he was doing classic secondary line work.
The other item I snagged on Ebay has led me down a fascinating rabbit hole of history. It's a pristine Handbook for The Canadian Service Rifle Ross MKIII printed in Ottawa in 1913. The best part are the two hand written clues inside: "W.H. Boothby" and "122nd Battalion". A search of CEF records online gave me a fantastic look at Sgt. William Henry Boothby's service record with the 122nd Overseas Battalion aka "The Muskoka Boys" which included everything from medical records, pay vouchers ($1 a day!) and disposition. His pre-war vocation as a carpenter probably served him well as the 122nd spent much of its time in France doing forestry work cutting down trees to clear paths for rail and communication lines. I wouldn't be surprised if Sgt Boothby kept his Ross considering he was doing classic secondary line work.
