British 1900 Pattern Naval Seaman’s Cutlass

THE 1900 PATTERN NAVAL SEAMAN’S CUTLASS retained the straight blade of the previous 1889 Pattern but introduced a fuller that ran to one-third of the blade length.  It also substituted the traditional iron grip that had been used on pattern cutlasses since 1804, with a chequered leather grip made up of two pieces of leather riveted to the tang.

This pattern of cutlass was taken out of service in 1936 and was no longer to be issued for use by landing parties but was to be retained for ceremonial use, with numbers being limited to 20 for each ship with more than 500 personnel and 10 for ships below that figure. It is generally accepted that the cutlass last saw combat service around 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion.

© 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

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