BULLETS X 3: PISTOL .303

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1880 - 1950

Subcollections

Overview

Part of the Toodyay Rifle Range Collection.
Set of three bullets, spent ammunition with indented ring near base & pointed nose.
Believed to be fired from a pistol rather than a rifle.
All show signs of impact damage.

Historical information

Found in Pelham Reserve, Toodyay
During archaeological excavations performed by the University of Western Australia in June/July 2010, one of the remote sensing archaeologists working with the students found a number of bullets associated with the Newcastle Convict Depot. This inspired Shire Ranger Alan Knapp and the archaeologist to investigate another source of historic bullets for comparison, the Toodyay Rifle Range. The Rifle Range is known to have existed in what is now Pelham Reserve since 1921 (Shire Reserve Records)
A total of 40 items were found and offered for accession into the museum collection. They have been divided into matching sets under Newcastle Gaol Museum accession numbers 2011.7 - 2011.15 inclusive.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-37-2011.11a-c

Themes

War and Conflict

Material

Metal

Height or length

21 mm

Contextual Information

By the 1920s a six hundred yard rifle range was in operation in the western end of Pelham Reserve, Toodyay.
Between 1939 and 1945 the Australian Army assumed control of the rifle range and Pelham Reserve. Underground chambers were built at two sites.
In 1947 the rifle range was rehabilitated.
In 1969 the Toodyay Rifle Club went into recess due to insufficient numbers.
In 1979 the rifle range was officially closed.
In 2020 a safety areas constructed of wood and set back into the butt and the end of the firing range is still relatively intact. The mounds associated with the firing points are in various stages of dispersion.

Year

1880 - 1950

Statement of significance

From an archaeological standpoint, these items are a solid find; restricted to a single place, the history of the bullet types and manufacturers represents clear patterned behaviour at a single point over a generally defined space of time. The historical references to the use of the Rifle Range are currently scarce in the museum's collection, and the accessioning of these items would go some way to providing evidence for future study of the area's use.

Primary significance criteria

Historic significance

Shire of Toodyay

Organisation Details
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