Major John W. Hessian's Springfield 03 Rifle

When the British army lost most of its arms on the beach at Dunkirk during WWII, John W. Hessian was one of many Americans who responded by loaning a rifle for British use.

As this bolt-action Springfield rifle, SN 264631, was Hessian's prized competition piece, a gun that had successfully competed in the Olympics, at Bisley Range in England, and in the National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio - Hessian placed specially engraved plates on the stock denoting its importance. The front plate, which asked for the rifle's return after the defeat of Germany, may be the reason this piece was returned to Hessian after the war.