Pistol in the 18th century, stolen by British soldiers during World War II, returned to Italian art museum for the first time in 66 years

A single pistol lost in Florentine art museum where the headquarters of the British Army was located in the end of World War II in 1944. An antique 250 years ago decorated with coral and silver is a gem that it is worth 15,000 pounds (about 2 million yen) at today's price and deserves to be called a work of art rather than a weapon, but in the UK Despite the repeated appeal from the museum side seeking cooperation to the search for the relevant authorities, it has been missing for a long time.

It was said that the pistol was returned to the museum by the British lady who wanted to do his final wish of the father in 66th year.

Details are as below.18th century pistol taken from Italian museum is returned 66 years later after deathbed wish of British soldier with 'troubled conscience' | Mail Online

During World War IIBritish ArmyThe eighth divisionStanley Parry Sergeant who belonged toNorth Africa FrontThroughItalian frontI participated. At the end of warBritish StraitsOn the ship crossing over, another soldier stopped sipping a beautiful pistol to the sea and took the pistol back to the UK.

Stanley Parry sergeant thought that I had to return the pistol for a long time, but I was not able to return easily because I was afraid of being accused of stealing a pistol. According to Mr. Parry's daughter June Cooke, in 1962 I visited Florence with my family in order to explain the situation to the museum, but in the end I was not able to return, even to the floor of death of this pistol He said he was concerned about it.


Mr. Parry died last year, but her daughter June Cooke contacted the Italian embassy in London to make his father's last wish, the pistol was a ceremony held the other day, a pistol by Cooke's hand In FlorenceStibbert MuseumIt was returned to. The day the ceremony was held seems to have been almost 66 years since the last British military withdrawal from the museum was completed.

Frederick Stibbert (1836-1906), originally a British father and an Italian mother, is a grandfather and a BritishIndian Supreme CommandermetGiles StibbertIt is a mansion inherited from the general and has more than 30,000 Western and Oriental arts and crafts collected by Frederick Stibbert. The center of the collection is about 12,000 points of arms from the 15th century to the 19th century gathered from all over the world, there are over 80 points in Japan 's armor and hundreds of Japanese swords. The mansions and collections were donated to the City of Florence after the death of Mr. Frederick Stibbert and it was released as a museum.


Although it is the Stibbert museum holding the collection of Mr. with the name of Mr. Frederick Stibbert who had a British father and was educated in Cambridge, during the Second World War, we got the building of the museum and left the headquarters It seems that the relationship with the British Army that I was doing was not amicable.

A report by the director at that time was "We got everything damaged by hundreds of soldiers who stayed in the building and drank eating and drinking and entering the bath and shaving beards." We moved around every place in the hall and put weapons and equipment around, The soldiers laying a mattress on a favorite place put their poses on the shields, helmets, and armor that they peeled off the walls when they felt, and took out the contents of the display shelf without permission. Many of them are now missing. "

One of the exhibits that was reported to be lost was decorated with silver and coral. This 18th century made in TurkeyFlint lock typeIt was a pistol.


According to Cristina Piacenti, the present director of the museum, some of the exhibits lost at the time of the U.S. Army's takeover were still missing, "The exhibits came back for the first time in 66 years and we I am deeply moved and I can not thank you for Mr. Parry 's family. "