Category: Sword Articles

THIS BRITISH ARMY CAVALRY officer’s sword probably ranks as the most attractive of all the pattern swords to be produced for use by serving officers.  Its origins are unclear but the blade style (a long, double-fullered and spear-pointed blade) was heavily influenced by contemporary French Cuirassier swords that had been so effective against British cavalry during the Napoleonic Wars.

The hilt design is somewhat reminiscent of the Model 1814 French Garde du Corps Sword but the hilt seems likely to have been actually based on the Prussian Kurassierpallasch, Model 1797.  The sword is thought to have been introduced into the Household Cavalry around 1810-1812 and officially recognised in 1814. 

Most examples encountered have a straight, single-edged blade with two narrow fullers that terminate near the spear point.  The hilt is of gilt brass and comprises an open or pierced basket, with a large central motif of a royal crown below which is an attached lion atop another smaller royal crown.  Pommel styles can vary from a rounded and plain pommel to more pointed profiles.  Scabbards are wood covered with black leather and an elaborately engraved locket and chape.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

THE VARIETY OF SWORDS carried by Indian cavalry troopers in the service of the East India Company and later, the British Army, are quite wide and varied.  There does not seem to be any specific regulations or patterns for use in India during the early 1800’s and in most cases, the equipping and sourcing of swords for cavalry regiments was the responsibility of senior officers, who made use of local swordsmiths, of which there was an abundance in India, due to its long history of sword making.  Many of these sword makers attempted to replicate British and European sword designs, particularly with regard to the hilt but added their traditional Tulwar-style blade, that would have been more familar to native soldiers.

As the century progressed and the chaos of the Indian Mutiny (1857) subsided, culminating in the demise of the East India Company and takeover of military control of the India by the British Army, a more standardised series of sword types starting arriving in India.  This was due partly to the shipping to India of large quantities of redundant British Army swords that were either no longer deemed serviceable or the pattern had been superceded by a new one.  This can be seen most noticeably in the use of the 1796 Pattern Cavalry Trooper’s Sword that gained a new lease of life in India, with large stocks shipped over from the 1820’s.  British sword makers also began to manufacture swords specifically for use in India with many of stirrup-hilted type.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

THE EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN OF 1801-1802 was an important factor in the adoption by British cavalry officers of the mameluke style sword. Some officers brought home fine examples of eastern scimitar swords and British sword-makers were soon busy “anglicising” them for the fashion conscious British cavalry officer.  Added to this was the availability of superbly crafted mameluke swords in India, where officers would sometimes have the hilt made locally with imported British or Indian blades attached. Ironically, they would have found that Indian or Persian watered blades were far more superior in both design and quality to the British imports.  

The Duke of Wellington was a great advocate for mameluke style swords (from his service in India) and carried one throughout the Napoleonic Wars and later, as Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, influenced the introduction of the 1831 Pattern General and Staff Officer’s Mameluke Sword.  After the Napoleonic Wars  (1803-1815), there was an explosion in styles of mameluke swords for British Army officers, with individual hussar and later, lancer regiments, producing their own specific and ornate regimental designs, both for dress and battle.

Napoleonic mameluke swords tend to have plain and wide, hatchet-type blades and were designed to be used in combat, rather than worn for dress, as was the case later in the century. They also have plainer hilts (invariably of either ivory of bone) and blades, sometimes utilised from captured examples (the French Army was particularly fond of the mameluke style) or sourced from the Middle East, where the quality of blade making was highly prized in Europe, following a number of campaigns in that region.

Into the 1820’s and onwards through the Victorian era, the mameluke sword tended to be worn solely as a full dress or levee sword. It became more elaborate with fine ivory and gilt brass chiselling to the hilt and extravagant scabbards of velvet with chased gilt brass mounts.  Blades are invariably etched with regimental devices, including crossed lancers’ motifs and regimental badges that are repeated to the hilt ecussons. Because of their high cost, officers would not, in most cases, have used these mamelukes in the field.  Rather, they would have probably carried their standard heavy and light cavalry pattern swords.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT Napoleonic cavalry officers’ sword types and when an officer was not bound by (or chose to ignore) specific official regulations with regard to the style of sword that he should carry, then personal choice and financial circumstances, became the overriding factors in his choice of sword.

For most officers, particularly of light cavalry regiments, both in the regular army and the volunteer yeomanry, swords tended to be based around the style of the 1796 Pattern Light Cavalry Officer’s Sword, with stirrup or D-shaped guards and plain or lionshead pommels.  There are also number of swords with attractive horse-head pommels in silver and it is most likely that they were carried by volunteer cavalry officers, as it was definitely not an official pattern.

Blades are normally of curved form and similar to regulation light cavalry types with regard to length and dimensions, although some are known to be much wider and curved, featuring extensive blue and gilt decoration.  The accompanying scabbards are also very impressive, with elaborate gilt brass engraving and embossed designs with patriotic motifs such as Britannia, rampant lions, Union Jacks, cannons and martial trophies.  A number of these swords still survive in excellent condition and many were given as presentation swords in honour of senior officers and commanders of volunteer cavalry regiments, who would never have seen any action outside of their own native county.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

BEFORE THE INTRODUCTION OF A PATTERN DIRK for both Highland and Lowland regiments, bandsmen carried a sword of regimental pattern and did so until 1856, when a universal pattern (Sword, Drummers’ Mark I) was adopted.

This remained the position until 1871, when regiments were ordered to carry a specific Highland dirk of new design. The Cameronians, who were designated as a rifle regiment, did not carry this dirk and stayed with the 1856 Pattern.

The new dirk was introduced as the Dirk Mark I (1871 Pattern), that featured a 12 inch blade with scalloped edge, decorated with the regiment’s name amid a background of scrolling thistle foliage.  The regimental name was also repeated to the bottom of the ebony or black wood hilt ferrule.  The scabbard was of black leather with polished iron mounts of thistle design.  The pommel caps displayed the reigning monarch’s crown e.g. St Edward’s Crown, for Queen Victoria. 

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

LOWLAND REGIMENTS OF THE BRITISH ARMY adopted the official 1822 and 1845 Pattern infantry sword but one regiment, the 21st (Royal North British Fusiliers), later to be re-designated the Royal Scots Fusiliers, chose to carry a distinctive regimental pattern that kept the 1822 Pattern “Gothic” hilt but replaced the royal cypher and crown with a regimental device comprising the regiment’s number (“21st”), surrounded by thistles and above that, a scroll displaying the regiment’s name, “ROYAL SCOTS FUSILIERS”.  Underneath the regimental device is another scroll with the motto of the regiment, “NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT” (No one attacks me with impunity).  The hilt backpiece is also decorated with thistles and there is a shield langet with flaming grenade device.  This particular pattern of sword was dropped in 1881, when the regiment adopted the traditional basket hilt of 1828 Pattern.

The Scots Guards also issued a specific style of sword to their sergeants, with most dating to around the 1840’s-1850’s.  The hilt comprises a D-shaped, pierced knucklebow, into which is inserted a thistle badge and regimental motto.  The pommel is of lionshead form, with a part-lion mane backstrap.  Blades were plain and of standard pattern type, with both 1822 and 1845 Patterns used.  Scabbards were black leather with a brass-mounted locket and chape.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

THE 1828 PATTERN SCOTTISH HIGHLAND INFANTRY OFFICER’S BROADSWORD is probably the most recognisable of Scottish military basket hilts and is a design still carried by serving Scottish Highland officers in the British Army.

The introduction of officially regulated patterns for Scottish infantry swords and in particular, the Highland basket hilt, was hastened by the 1822 Army Dress Regulations, whose primary aim was to standardise and regulate swords throughout the British Army.  Up until then, Scottish regiments tended to go their own way when it came to swords and although the 1798 Pattern Highland Officer’s Broadsword had brought some relative order, the military authorities wished to further standardise and regulate the equipment and weapons carried by their Highland soldiers. 

Initially, the 1822 changes saw the introduction of a traditional gilt brass basket hilt with corresponding scabbard mounts.  It had a straight, cut and thrust blade and was a direct precursor to the 1828 Pattern.  The gilt brass version was not in use for long and in 1828, the hilt was changed to one of steel, probably for reasons of strength and durability.  It had a black leather and steel- mounted scabbard with corresponding ball terminal to the chape.  An all-steel scabbard was introduced in 1834.  Hilt liners were normally of buff leather, with a scarlet cloth covering, blue silk edging and red tassels.  The use of the traditional shoulder belt to suspend swords became less common from the mid-19th Century, as officers chose to carry the basket hilt by means of a waistbelt and slings.  In 1899, a universal brown leather Field Service scabbard for the British Army was introduced, accompanied by a specially designed leather frog.

In design terms, earlier versions of the 1828 Pattern differ from later Victorian examples in having more rounded hilt bars and an un-plated, steel hilt.  Unlike basket hilts produced later in the 19th Century, where the pommel could be removed to allow replacement with a cross-bar hilt, these first baskets had the pommel permanently fixed to the tang.   In contrast to basket hilts of the 18th Century that tend to have plain, undecorated blades, the blades on Scottish 1828 Pattern baskets are commonly encountered with profusely etched decoration, including typical Scottish motifs of thistles and St Andrew crosses, coupled with the addition of regimental badges, battle honours and owner’s names/family crests.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

UP UNTIL THE LATE-18TH CENTURY, the position of the bandsman in the British Army was quite unique. Bands were comprised mostly of civilians with a small proportion of enlisted men.  The civilian element of these bands were not actually required to join their regiments overseas or participate in active military service.

During the late-18th and early 19th Century, the responsibility for the upkeep of the musician with regard to uniform, accoutrements and weapons, was entirely that of the regiment and its officers.  Consequently, a wide variety of sword designs were produced with some regiments trying to outdo eachother with the grandiosity of their bandsmen’s appearance, both in uniform and sword.  This led to the popularity of employing black musicians who were seen as “exotic”and fashionable, particularly during the 1800’s.

As they were not obliged to fight, there was little emphasis put on the  bandsman’s sword to have any practical fighting qualities. The need for ornament was the overriding concern.  As the 19th Century progressed, band swords took on a more uniform hilt and blade style.  This consisted of a short, curved or “scimitar” type blade, with a solid brass mameluke-style hilt.  Animal forms were commonly incorporated into the pommel, and included a wide range of forms, including lions, tigers, eagles, and horses.  Quillons were either S-shaped or straight. Some also have provision for a loose chain to the knucklebow.   The regimental badge or number is sometimes engraved to the hilt ecusson.  Straight-bladed examples of these swords are noted but tend to be from later periods, c.1840-50.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

THE HONOURABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY  was incorporated by royal charter in 1537, by King Henry VIII (r.1509-1547) and is regarded as the oldest volunteer regiment in the British Army (the Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regiment in the British Army). 

By the end of the 18th Century, the Honourable Artillery Company carried spadroon-type swords that were similar to those worn by officers of the regular army, with stirrup hilts and straight, single-edged blades.  Hilts were of steel, gilt brass or silver and many featured a “cigar band” to the centre of the grip that bore the name of the regiment. 

Officers of the H.A.C. followed the specifications of official infantry sword patterns after 1786 and this remained the same until around the 1850’s, when a dedicated style of sword for officers of the regiment was introduced.  It featured a pierced shell guard with an attached flaming grenade badge (usually silver).  Blades are straight, with a pronounced shoulder and raised central ridge.  Etching tends to include the regimental coat of arms and lettering, “HAC”.  It is contained in a black leather and brass-mounted scabbard that is normally decorated.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

IN KEEPING WITH THE TRADITIONS of such an illustrious and elite regiment, the Grenadier Guards chose their own distinct sword to be carried by sergeants of the regiment.  Their is no definite date of introduction but it is likely to be between 1822 -1852, as the initial blade type used for these swords is the 1822 Pattern Infantry Officer’s Sword.  It is shorter than the standard pattern (27   inches) and features a brass knucklebow with inset regimental flaming grenade badge.  The pommel is of lionshead type and the grip is fishskin, bound with brass twistwire.  Scabbards were black leather with a brass locket and chape.  A later version incorporates the 1845 Pattern blade and would have been used until 1852, when sergeants no longer carried swords.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

THE INTRODUCTION OF THIS NEW PATTERN of infantry officer’s sword was quite radical as it came with a new type of blade and hilt that was considered a great improvement on previous designs.  Although the 1845 Pattern Infantry Officer’s Sword had been carried for over 45 years and been used in many conflicts throughout the British Empire, including the Crimean War, Indian Mutiny and multiple smaller wars in Africa and beyond, British Army officers still felt that it was not a good design and failed particularly with regard to the blade.  And so again, the military authorities went away and engaged the thoughts of a Colonel Fox, Chief Inspector of Physical Training at the Board of Education.  He suggested a straight blade, rounded on the back and edge, with a deep fuller to both sides.  This gave it a “dumb-bell” cross-section and it has been known as this blade type ever since.  The blade was also double-edged for the last 17 inches and terminated in a ferocious spear point.  Approval for the blade was given in 1891 but it was not until 1895, that it was formally pronounced as a pattern.

Another major change to this pattern is with regard to the hilt.  Previous hilts had been of an open design that allowed the entry of an enemy’s blade point and the possibility of disabling the swordsman’s hand.  This new pattern went some way to solving this problem by producing a steel (later, nickel-plated), three-quarter basket hilt with much smaller, pierced openings that provided greater protection to the hand.  Minor alterations to the pattern included the turning down of the inner guard (in 1897) to prevent fraying of the uniform and the replacement of the steel scabbard (except for dress) with a leather Field Service scabbard suspended by means of a frog attached to a Sam Browne belt (1899).

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

THIS PATTERN FOLLOWED THE 1856 Pattern Drummer’s (or Bugler’s) Sword (MKI) and is simply a reduction and refinement of the previous pattern.  The blade is of the same type as the MKI but was reduced in length and width.  The pommel was changed to display a rounded profile and the hilt ecusson with the monarch’s cypher remained.  Scabbards were just a smaller version of the earlier pattern.

The sword mounts were either brass or cast iron, with brass-hilted swords for drummers and bandsmen of the infantry and the iron hilt for rifle regiments.  Regimental abbreviations are commonly found on the pommel and to the side of the grip. 

Interestingly, an order was given in 1901 for all of these band swords to be sharpened for active service.  It might have been a reaction to the current war in South Africa (Second Boer War – 1899-1902), but this now greatly reduced “weapon” would have been practically useless if used in combat, except as a form of long dagger.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY, Sergeants and Staff Sergeants in the British Army tended to carry the same pattern as officers, differing only in that NCO blades were plain and undecorated.  A specific named pattern for Staff Sergeants was introduced in 1861(the carrying of swords for ordinary infantry sergeants having been abolished in 1852) but this was also very similar to officers’ swords with minor changes to blade dimensions.  This pattern was again replaced by the 1866 Pattern Staff Sergeant’s Sword that specified a rounded back to the blade and slightly different decoration to the brass scabbard mounts.

It is only in 1889 that a new pattern and style of Staff Sergeant’s sword was authorised, due mainly to failings of swords in combat over previous years, where it was found to be weak and flimsy.  The emphasis on this new pattern was rightly directed at the blade and its weight and thickness was increased to make it a more sturdy fighting weapon.  The hilt was either gun-metal or cast-iron (for dismounted artillery or rifle regiments) or brass (for engineers and infantry).  The design of the steel scabbard was quite a departure from the accepted norm for infantry swords and comprised a cavalry style arrangement of two fixed steel loops and no frog stud.  The scabbard was subsequently found to be too heavy (at 1lb 4 ozs and was lightened twice to 1lb 2 ozs, in 1892.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

BRITISH ARMY ROYAL ENGINEERS’ officers (designated the Corps of Engineers, in 1788) first carried standard infantry pattern swords such as the 1786 and 1796 Pattern.  They followed the official infantry patterns until 1857, when a new sword for the Corps was introduced.  It was described in the Dress Regulations as:

“Regulation pattern blade for Infantry, 32 inches long by 1 inches wide, hilt of rolled metal, gilt, scrolled pattern, pierced and engraved.”

In the Victorian era, the Royal Engineers established a specific and unique role for themselves. They underlined their independence with this new sword that was specific to their branch of service.  It is one of the most attractive of Victorian sword designs and features a pierced gilt brass bowl guard, with deeply scrolled acanthus-leafed decoration.  Scabbards were brass for field officers until 1874, when it was changed to steel.  Ironically, the enclosed basket hilt gave good protection for the hand and more so probably than its infantry equivalent who would have used their swords in more combat situations than a typical engineer officer.  Even John Wilkinson-Latham, of Wilkinson Sword, acknowledged that this pattern was an improvement on others and wrote in 1873 that it had a  “…very good guard but overbalanced”.  The sword was carried until the late-19th Century when it was replaced by the 1892/95 and finally, the 1897 Pattern Infantry Officer’s Sword.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

THIS IS AN INTERESTING SWORD and the only British Army pattern sword that was not actually British, both in its origin and manufacture.  It is first highlighted by T. J.W. Connolly in his work, History of the Royal Sappers and Miners (1855), where he refers to a specific sword carried by Royal Engineers’ drivers:

“…a light Prussian sword, having half-basket hilts and buff leather tassels.  The grip was partly of japanned wood ridged; all else with the Scabbard, steel”.

Connolly refers to the sword as being “light” which seems rather incongruous as it is quite a substantial piece when held in the hand.

These swords were originally produced in Germany by Schnitzler & Kirschbaum of Solingen, for trials with the Prussian Army (Guard Hussar Regiment) in 1849-1850.  These trials were ultimately unsuccessful, with the regiment adopting the new Model 1852 Cavalry Trooper’s Sword.  This left the company with a stock of trial swords to dispose of and it is thought that they were sold through the Liege market where British Board of

Ordnance inspectors were based, who no doubt subsequently purchased the batch for an acceptable price.  The blades of these swords are curved and flat-backed, with a broad, single fuller to within 9 inches of the point, where it becomes double-edged.  Many have British Army “sold out of service” stamps of opposing arrows.  Grips are covered in ribbed leather over a wooden core. 

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

UNLIKE DEDICATED MILITARY BANDSMEN, regimental drummers and buglers were enlisted soldiers and could be ordered to fight alongside their fellow soldiers. Indeed, their naturally prominent position at the front of a line of infantry made them extremely vulnerable to death and injury. Their bravery on the battlefield in the 18th and early 19th Century, had made them legendary within the British Army.

From the mid-18th Century, troops were issued with a sword based on a scimitar-type sword. Details of what it actually looked like are sketchy and few have survived that can be readily identified. By 1802, the Standing Regulations called for a straight-bladed sword similar to that carried by sergeants of the line. This is thought to be the standard 1796 Pattern Infantry NCO’s sword, with a plain brass hilt and blade.  

Drummers’ swords of a design similar to the future 1856 Pattern had been carried in the 1840’s and this rather vague and confusing situation continued until 1856, when a completely new pattern of sword for drummers, the 1856 Pattern, Mark I, was introduced for both drummers and buglers (the buglers carried a cast iron version).  Its distinctive brass, “Gothic” cruciform hilt with ornamental quillon trefoils, was heavily influenced by the Victorian interest in medieval architecture.  The crossguard ecusson also displayed the royal cypher of Queen Victoria.  Regimental stamps are commonly seen on the side of the grip. The blade was straight, ending in a spear point and it was carried in a leather and brass-mounted scabbard with a frog stud to the locket.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

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

WHEN COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS 1822 PATTERN, the main difference concerns the absence of a folding hilt guard and the introduction of a new blade type in 1845.   In a Memorandum of 10 March 1845 from the Adjutant-General, the new blade was described as:

“A blade of an improved construction and superior quality having been adopted to the Sword prescribed for officers of infantry, a pattern of the sword thus improved has been sealed and deposited in the Office of Military Boards for the inspection of tradesmen and regulation of future supplies – any deviation from which either as regards form, dimensions or weight as specified in the margin is positively prohibited.  It is to be understood, however, that officers are not required to provide themselves with swords of the improved pattern until those now in possession shall have been worn out.”

The blade that had been specified in the Memorandum and thus superceding the previous pipe back, was of the new“Wilkinson” type, comprising a slightly curved blade with a broad fuller to each side that extended to around 10 inches from the new spear point, where it then became double-edged.  This new blade was considerably stronger than the pipe back version and it was generally well received by infantry officers.

In 1854, the hilt was changed and the folding guard removed, leaving a single curved spur.  The Pattern had a very long service life and some of the best examples were manufactured by Wilkinson Sword.  The quality of these is very apparent, especially in the sturdy hilt construction and the crisp, deep etching to the thick and wide service blades.  A good heavy duty scabbard was also supplied in both steel and leather-mounted-steel. These swords were made for proper service use in the British Army and would have undergone strenuous testing at the Wilkinson factory, in London.

This sword also has a smaller and lighter, “picquet” or “levee” weight equivalent that would have been carried for social engagements such as mess dinners, balls and official functions.  There were never precise regulations for the carrying of these lightweight versions, but they are common and so must have been accepted unofficially by the authorities.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

THE INTRODUCTION OF THE 1831 PATTERN was heavily influenced by the Duke of Wellington who had been an early promoter of this design (following his service in India), carrying a mameluke type sword throughout the Napoleonic Wars.  Wellington went on to become the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in the 1820’s and 1840’s, and during his period of office, a new pattern for general officers, based on a mameluke design, was authorised.

The hilt had a wide gilt brass crossguard with ball or rounded finials.  Placed within a central ecusson was a wreathed sword and general’s baton.  Grips were invariably made from ivory with floral rivets to secure the tang.  A large hole for a sword knot was also provided at the top of the curved pommel.  It originally came with a leather and gilt-brass-mounted scabbard for dress wear, and a plain brass version for all other occasions.  In 1898, the scabbard was changed from brass to plated steel. A brown leather field service scabbard was produced for active service.  This pattern of sword was also carried by members of the British Indian Political Service. The usual crossed sword and baton found in the ecusson was replaced by a royal coat of arms.  Lord Lieutenants of Counties still carry this sword, the ecusson having a thistle for Scotland, a rose for England, a shamrock for Northern Ireland and the Prince of Wales’ feathers for Wales.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024

THE 1822 DRESS REGULATIONS stipulated that Rifle Officers carry the same sword as infantry officers with the proviso that they carry a steel scabbard for field service, relegating the black leather and gilt-brass-mounted scabbard for dress purposes.  Rifle regiments had always prided themselves on being set apart from the “ordinary” infantry and this elitist attitude resulted in a desire to have their own distinctive pattern.  This was duly realised in a Circular Memorandum issued by the Adjutant-General on 17 June 1827 that authorised the adoption of a steel-hilted sword of “Gothic” pattern.  This became the 1827 Pattern Rifle Regiment Officer’s Sword.

It is defined by an all-steel hilt and the replacement of the usual royal cypher and crown with a strung bugle and crown in a cartouche. This motif symbolised the earlier use of the bugle to control rifle troops rather than the drum favoured by the Infantry of the Line.   The hilt was generally of more sturdier construction than the infantry pattern, with flatter and wider hilt bars.  There is also no folding guard.  By the end of the 19th Century, nickel-plated hilts had superseded the original steel hilt. This pattern of sword is still carried by Rifle Officers in the British Army.

The blade was pipe-backed in keeping with the 1822 Pattern and would follow subsequent official changes in blade types until the end of the century.  Blades were normally etched with a royal crown and cypher, supplemented with the addition of a strung bugle and crown motif.   Many Victorian swords of this pattern are also frequently decorated with the names of regional volunteer rifle regiments.  These rifle volunteer regiments emerged in the 1850’s and 1860’s in response to a perceived threat of invasion from France and officers were keen to purchase swords that identified both themselves and their regiment directly on the sword blade.  It is interesting to note that many examples of these 19th Century rifle volunteer swords have survived which is testament to the sheer number of officers in these regiments.  The regular army was rather contemptuous of these volunteer regiments and viewed them, perhaps unkindly, as “weekend soldiers”. Contemporary cartoons also portrayed the officers as bloated buffoons, more interested in impressing the ladies with their dashing uniforms, than the serious business of military manoeuvres. This is a crude caricature. Most volunteer regiments took their duties very seriously.

© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024