AT THE SAME TIME AS THE 1845 PATTERN INFANTRY OFFICER’S SWORD experienced changes to the hilt design (in 1854), sword hilts carried by the Foot Guards also underwent a change in that year. The gilt brass infantry hilt was replaced with a steel hilt (later nickel-plated) and where, formerly, there had been a crowned royal cypher within a pierced cartouche, it was now replaced with a specific regimental badge, comprising those of the Grenadier, Scots, Coldstream, Irish and in the 20th Century (1915), the Welsh Guards. Grips were wrapped with fishskin and bound with either brass, silver or steel twistwire.
The blade specifications remained the same as the 1845 Pattern but regimental versions for Foot Guards commonly display the numerous battle honours of these famous regiments. Some also include the owner’s initials or family crest which can aid identification, and if it is a Wilkinson example (and stamped with a serial number to the blade spine), then access to the surviving sales ledgers for a fee, can reveal the original owner. It must be noted that not all the entries in the ledgers were filled out and there are numerous gaps where a serial number corresponds to a blank entry.
© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024