I didn't think that it would be possible to even find what I found after all these years.
back in 2007 I returned to visit family in Switzerland and stayed in my family's holiday home in Eastern France near a village called (Pardon my spelling) Aielviller. The building was an old powerstation, first built in early 1918 and renovated by my grandparents in the early 1990s into a home.
Apparently there was a large pile of sawdust on the attic and my grandparents decided to clear it away. After shoveling a few loads into buckets, my grandmother was staring at a muzzel of a rifle, poking out of the pile of sawdust. The rifle turned out to be a M1892 Mannlicher Berthier, completely original with no missing parts. I do not know how long that carbine was in the sawdust, but although it had a little surface corrosion, the magazine looked as if the gun was made yesterday .
i also discovered a Poliu Helmet (sadly rusted through) and a rusty bayonet in its sheath.
I managed to have it sent to New Zealand, and i am now the proud owner of the only original M1892 in the country!!!.
The Carbines stock seems to have the soldiers initials dotted into it by what looks like a needle, its only just visible .
If anyone knows how to trace weapons to what unit they served etc. it would be great to know, as its a mystery where it has come from. hope the weapons number and soldiers initials helps:
Initials: D.G.
Number: 86194
Built at St Ettiene arms factory, France, in 1894.
Cheers
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