The Maltese Falke 

This is an interesting vignette in the history of Falke airguns, which comes as a result of the sharp eyes of Barry in New Zealand and the kind co-operation of Stephen Petroni in Malta.

Stephen is a firearms collector, the architect of Malta's firearms laws, and the owner of Lock Stock and Barrel, a fine arms and militaria store. His father, Joseph, was the Falke agent in Malta - probably after meeting Albert Föhrenbach at the Hannover Messe in 1948.

The following pics show a range of Falke break barrel rifles on display at Mr Petroni Sr's stand at the Malta trade fair in 1956. He was also the Malta agent for British-made Servis washing machines. If you look closely, you can also see the unmistakeable outline of a Falke 33 pistol on display below the rifle rack.

There is a contemporary photo of Joseph Petroni at the wheel of his car.

This is the story Stephen tells:

 

My late father was the agent and importer of FALKE airguns in Malta. The following pictures are from the company stand at the 1st edition of the Malta Fair that was held in San Anton Gardens in 1956. The FALKE range is displayed. In one photo the Governor, Sir Robert Laycock VC, visits the stand.

After 1948 my father developed the family business in vehicle imports and distribution. However, he is known as one of the pioneers of the home appliance business in Malta, successfully marketing the Servis brand of washing machines that were manufactured by Wilkins & Mitchell in Darlaston [an area of Walsall, West Midlands, UK]. The Servis brand became synonymous with the Petroni surname. My father also ran a hobby shop in Valletta from where he retailed air guns and models. The outlet was called “Servis Store”.

I do not know how my father’s association with Herr Föhrenbach started. However, my father sourced several lines in Germany and travelled extensively to that country. It is quite likely that he met Herr Föhrenbach at the 1948 Expo in Hannover as my father always mentioned this occasion in connection with his appointment as the Servis agent in Malta.

The hobby shop was very popular with the crews on [British] Royal Navy vessels visiting the Grand Harbour. Considerable numbers of Falke air guns and Graupner models were sold to servicemen and it is assumed that most eventually made their way to the UK. However, when business declined my father focused on the appliance business and closed the hobby shop.

I joined the appliance business in 1981. I eventually became a firearms dealer in 1996 and in 2010 I sold off the appliance business to focus on the firearms business in which I am very well established.

Photos courtesy of Stephen Petroni

Joseph Petroni (d.2005), Falke's agent in Malta:

1956 Malta Fair: