Decoratively carved rifle butt : Farrier Sergeant P R King, 5 Victorian Mounted Rifles

Butt from a Lee Enfield No1 Mk1 rifle, made of walnut wood, hand carved on both sides. The left side shows an unofficial Australian coat-of-arms set on a cross-hatched background, and comprising a shield flanked by a kangaroo and an emu. The bodies of both are shown facing away from the shield, instead of towards the shield, as on the normal coat-of-arms. The shield of the coat-of-arms is divided into four by the stripes and stars of the Eureka Stockade flag motif. The quarters each contain one motif; a ship; a sheep; crossed pick and shovel; and wheat sheaf. A rising sun symbol is carved over the shield and a flower head below. 'ADVANCE AUSTRALIA' is in a ribbon banner across the base of the carving. The right side of the stock is inset with the profile head of Paul Kruger, cut from a Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) silver 2 schilling coin, surrounded by cross-hatching and banners bearing the inscription 'FARRIER SGT. P.R. KING 5th V M R'. The right side also displays the coat-of-arms of the ZAR together with four small 'windows' at the corner angles. Three of these bear the inscriptions 'BOER', 'WAR', '18PP' (sic) - the '9's are carved in reverse and look like 'P's. One of the 'windows' is blank. There is cross hatching carved around the hand grip area on both sides of the butt. The brass butt plate is still attached to the stock and the tang has an inspection stamp 'EFD 84 E' together with a crown motif, indicating that the rifle was inspected in the Enfield armoury, England.

Associated with 1081 Farrier Sergeant Percy Robert Henry Grierson King, 5 Victorian Mounted Rifles, who served in South Africa from February 1901 to April 1902.