Edinburgh fisherman discovers rifle from Second World War in Union Canal near Hermiston Village

Fisherman left stunned after fascinating find

A magnet fisherman was left stunned this weekend after he dragged up a rare Second World War rifle from an Edinburgh canal.

John Robertson was out fishing with friends when he caught hold of a semi-automatic M1 Garand assault weapon at the capital’s Union Canal near to Hermiston Village on Sunday morning.

John, from Edinburgh, and his colleagues immediately called in the police to report the find and the firearm was taken away for disposal by officers. John is a member of the Magnet Fishers of Edinburgh group who have hit the headlines over the past two years for pulling a vast array of discarded weapons from the city’s waterways.

John Robertson was out fishing with friends when he caught hold of a semi-automatic M1 Garand assault weapon

The M1 Garand is a semi-automatic rifle and was used by the U.S Army during World War 11 and the Korean War and is named after its designer John Garand. General George Patton is reported to have described the weapon as “the greatest battle implement ever devised”.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “On Sunday, 20 November, 2022, around 11.20am, officers received a report of a firearm recovered from the Union Canal close to Hermiston House Road, Edinburgh. The historic weapon was made safe by officers.”