Rare WWI-era Luger Saved from Torch by British Museum

By Chris Eger

While most of the firearms surrendered in the gun control-heavy UK are destroyed, a 1911-dated Luger was recently preserved (Photo: Wiltshire Police)
Turned over in a police firearms surrender, a trophy Luger from a historic Great War battle on the Western Front is now in a museum.
The pistol, a 1911-marked DWM, was collected by the Wiltshire Police during the UK’s National Firearms Surrender this summer. While the majority of firearms collected will be torched, the Luger was passed to the famed Tank Museum in Bovington for them to display.
“Firearms handed into the police during surrenders are sent for ballistic tests to ensure they haven’t been used in crime and are usually then destroyed,” said Wiltshire Police Armourer, Jamie Ross. However, an exception was made for the Luger, which was transferred in unmolested condition. “This live firearm is a part of history and I know that it is a welcome addition to the collection at the Tank Museum,” said Ross.
The standard sidearm of the Imperial German Army, the P08 DWM Parabellum was best known simply as the Luger after its inventor, Georg Luger. First adopted by the Swiss Army in 1900, the Luger design went on to serve in several militaries in Europe, Asia,

Source: Guns.com