Wondering around London

[edgarspencer]

I always found H&H to be friendly. Billy Billarmoria was a salesman there back in the'80s. I stopped in one day and they told me he had a heart attack, and was in the hospital. I went and visited him in the hospital and spent an hour. He went into depth, growing up in India, and working his way up to manager in the Bombay Holland store. He didn't get back to work for nearly a year, and when he was back, I stopped again. He said he hadn't sold a gun since coming back. Jokingly, I said "let's see if we can change that". I ended up buying a back action double rook rifle in .360 Rook. Billy retired and went back to India, and I got the most beautiful, hand made Christmas cards from him until he died in '07.
I think they moved out of the 33 Bruton St store, but when they were there, they had their private collection in the basement. I will never forget the .450 hammer gun with Jones under lever. It was a Perkes patent, that self cocked when you swung the lever over. I believe I offered many body parts if they would sell it to me.
For over 20 years, I spent anywhere between 12 and 20 weeks a year in England, for business. Growing up, as a child, my sisters and I spent 2 months every summer, until I was 16, in Scotland at my mother's family farm. I've only been back a few times since I retired.