EVER SINCE DISCOVERING a copy of Air Guns & Air Pistols by L. Wesley in his local WH Smith in 1971, Christopher Thrale has been fascinated by air rifles and air pistols.

He began collecting in 1975 and has a particular enthusiasm for any air weapon with a spring inside it, which led him to write his first book, Webley Air Rifles 1925– 2005. Although his interests are wide-ranging, he retains a special fondness for Webley air rifles and air pistols, together with BSA air rifles. In recent years, he has also developed an interest in antique and vintage penny arcade machines, Scalextric model motor racing cars, Bassett-Lowke trains and Saab motor vehicles, to name but a few.

Christopher is now retired both from the Hertfordshire Constabulary, where he served for 30 years, and Pax Guns, formerly of Highgate, London, which he managed alongside the late Hugh Earl from 2009 to 2023. He currently lives in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, where he remains an active collector who is constantly trying to acquire less!