Taking a shot at solving Stratford's gun mystery
TWO handguns fished out of the River Avon recently could have dated from either the First or Second World War.
Initially, it was thought the guns were First World War issue but following an article in last week’s Herald, Mark Glover from Stratford contacted the newsroom to say one of the guns could have belonged to his father – Peter Glover – who threw a gun and some ammunition in the river just after the war ended.
Mark said: “My father was a major in the Second World War and I remember him telling me along with my brother and sister that shortly after the war he discovered he still had his army issue pistol along with some ammunition. We as young children were eager to know where it was and what happened to it? He said he knew he shouldn't have it but was not quite sure what to do with it, so he threw it in the river along with the ammunition. One of these revolvers could have been his -provided his story was true of course.”
Identification of the two handguns is difficult due to corrosion caused by them lying on the riverbed next to Tramway Bridge for decades before they were pulled to the surface by members of a magnet fishing club from Birmingham over a week ago.
Although the mystery of the river guns may never be solved their discovery has triggered a follow-up story which once again delves into Stratford’s past and the lives of people who lived here.
Mark said: “My father’s birth certificate name was Geoffrey Noel Glover but he was known as Peter Glover and signed his name P G N Glover. He was Stratford born and bred.
His first part of the Second World War was with the expeditionary forces that crossed into France 1940/41 I think. He was a corporal and was evacuated off beeches of Dunkirk along with 300,000 others. He then got his commission and went to Sandhurst for officer training, and that’s about as far as I can go I’m afraid bearing in mind he died 46 years ago and any tales he would have told me was 60 years ago. I would imagine he was in the Warwickshire Regiment but it could have been Worcestershire and I still have his officers’ cane. Unfortunately, he died in 1977.”
