Phil,
I spoke with JJ Parodeau the Riflemaker at Champlin Firearms, Enid Oklahoma, USA
He said that he has a 256 Westley Richards that was given to Jim Corbett for killing a man eating tiger. He said the cheek piece was a common place to put such engraved presentations. Most likey the one that went with that rifle was replaced with the disc you have now. Needless to say that rifle probably once was a presentation piece to someone.

Your misson Mr. Phelps. . . er Phil, if you decide to except it, is to contact the Birmingham Musuem's Firearms curator and see if he might know what happened to the day book records of A. Hollis. The company dissappeared prior to 1919. That would be quite a find!

This is the serial number of my rifle. My friend Mark's rifle was made 54 guns after this one. It will be interesting to where the rifle you looked at falls.

So do we have a new member of