GUNS Magazine May 1956 - Jeffersonian

ing the hammerless Webley "Metropolitan Police" automatic
adopted by the London and South African police.
These guns went the way of others in the national disarming
of 1920. A single shot target Webley in .22 has been made,
but has a relatively small sale.
The extremely limited modern market for Webley consists
of holders of firearms certificates. These few people in
England are all that keeps Webley making pistols at its
Birmingham plant.
Webley has always been on that site. The company was
established by Philip Webley, son of Thomas Webley who
in the early 1800's was employed in the white button trade
in the Midland manufacturing town. Predecessor to Webley's
shop was the factory if William Davis, whose brass
foundry turned out bullet moulds and gunmaker's tools.
bolsters to new gun barrels, which would be used by
other gunmakers in completed guns. Probably
times converted flintlock guns to percussion.
Philip Webley learned his business the hard way. He
had been apprenticed to a gun lock filer, Benjamin Watson,
for seven years at the age of 14. Philip did not get rich
at the magnificent pay of five shillings a week with annual
raises of a shilling a week. His hours were long, from six
o'clock in the morning to seven in the evening during sum-
Webley-Kaufmann of 1880 had
improved lock work with easily
removed sideplate for repair.
After setting up his own business, Philip married the
daughter of William Davis, and the Davis brass works and
Webley shop amalgamated. Philip, as the senior, gave his
name to the company. Later two sons of Philip, Thomas
and Henry, joined the firm which was registered as "P.
Webley & Sons." Thomas supervised the gun and rifle de-