SERVICE FAILURES OF THE PREVIOUS PATTERNS again necessitated the need for a new pattern of cavalry sword. This became the 1899 Pattern Cavalry Trooper’s Sword and was not an improvement on previous patterns and became one of the most unpopular British cavalry troopers’ swords of the 19th Century.
Changes made to this pattern include the replacement of the “Maltese Cross” guard with a solid bowl and the inclusion of an unusually long grip. The blade was similar to the 1882 Pattern but had been strengthened and thickened, with a slightly shorter blade.
The outbreak of war in South Africa (Boer War) was a testing ground for the new pattern and it failed miserably.
Flaws included the swordsman’s hand tending to slip up and down the grip, especially when hot and sweaty. The thickness of metal to the guard was also too thin, causing it to bend and buckle easily. Colonel Robert Baden-Powell was also condemnatory:
“The present sword is a perfectly useless weapon to my mind, whether as a sword or anything else.”
Because of its general fragility, most surviving examples are in pretty poor condition, with battered guards and worn grips.
© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024
Taken from The British Sword – From 1600 to the Present Day – An Illustrated History by Harvey J S Withers – 12,000 full colour photographs – 884 pages
For more details please click on the images.
