*British, WW1, Trench Art – Small Brass Model of a Gunboat – Possibly Banterer or Insect Class*
Approximate Measurements: 9.3cm x 3.6cm tall x 0.8cm wide
This is a small brass model of a gunboat, likely made during WW2 – it closely resembles the Banterer or Insect Class. Photographs of HMS Raven (Banterer Class) and HMS Cockchafer and HMS Tarantula (Insect Class) are shown for purely comparative purposes.
Banterer-class
The Banterer-class gunboats were a series of eleven vessels built for the Royal Navy between 1880 and 1892. They were armed with two 6-inch muzzle-loading rifles, two 3.75-inch breech-loading guns, and machine guns. These gunboats served various purposes, including coastal defence, survey work, and training. HMS Raven was used as a divers tender in WWI.
Insect Class
The Insect-class gunboats were small yet powerful Royal Navy vessels designed for operations in shallow rivers and inshore waters. Initially intended for use on the Danube during World War I against Austria-Hungary, they were disguised under the name “China gunboats” but later saw action on the Yangtze River in China. During World War I, HMS Cockchafer defended England’s southeast coast from Brightlingsea. During the Russian Civil War (1918–1919), she supported White Russian forces on the Dvina River. In January 1920, Cockchafer, alongside other Insect-class ships, departed Chatham for China, where she patrolled the Yangtze River, protecting British nationals and interests. HMS Tarantula, an Insect-class gunboat launched in 1915, served in both World Wars. In 1916, she joined the Tigris flotilla, recapturing a British gunboat from the Ottomans. Post-WWI, she was sent to China and later stationed at Trincomalee, Ceylon, during WWII. In 1946, she was sunk as a gunnery target in the Bay of Bengal.
*Condition*
Good used condition. (The photographs of HMS Raven, HMS Cockchafer and HMS Tarantula are not part of the sale but shown on line for purely comparative purposes). Please see photographs of the brass model as part of the condition report.
RQMCEXGO_3677193368
