Objects · Short story
A captain’s pistol, a wrecked steamer and the winter of 1942
The Ruby pistol in Svalbard Museum belonged to Daniel Morley Williams, master of the British steamer Chulmleigh, which was wrecked off the South Cape of Spitsbergen in November 1942. The Wire tells the voyage as a serial in nine parts.
The pistol is in the collection of Svalbard Museum in Longyearbyen, catalogue number SVB 01455 A, and is part of the museum’s exhibition. What follows is the museum’s own record of the object, translated from Norwegian.
The museum’s record
| Object | Pistol, calibre 6.35 (.25), 7.65 mm Ruby, serial number 447. Holster for the pistol, in brown leather with light stitching. |
|---|---|
| Inscription | Manufactured in Spain by “Ruby” Arms Co · Patent 70724-cal 6.35 · Tested cal 25 · 447 |
| Size | Height 7.8 cm, length 11.5 cm, thickness 2.3 cm |
| Material | Metal with iron |
| Subjects | War; arms |
| Used by | Daniel Morley Williams, Great Britain |
| Place of use | Russekeila, Nordenskiöld Land, Svalbard |
| Earlier number | FMU 063227, a number of the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum that is no longer in use |
| Owner | Svalbard Museum foundation |
| Record published | 9 September 2014, updated 27 October 2026 |
Whose it was
Under “Other information” the record says:
Belonged to Captain Daniel Morley Williams of the S/S Chulmleigh. Gift to Svalbard Museum from Øyvind Asbjørnsen.