Here are some examples of pages from my new book – The British Sword – An Illustrated History – 1600 to the Present Day. These pages cover the 20th Century and include British infantry swords, cavalry swords and naval swords. Here are some extracts from my new book.
BRITISH 1892 PATTERN R.A.M.C. OFFICER’S SWORD – Medical officers in the British Army carried the official infantry officer pattern swords (1822 and 1845) until 1892, when they adopted a similar infantry officer’s sword, comprising a pierced brass “Gothic” hilt with royal crown and cypher in a cartouche. They carried this sword until 1934, when the Royal Army Medical Corps finally followed in line with standard infantry patterns and wore the 1897 Pattern Infantry Officer’s Sword. These swords are easy to identify as they carry the royal cypher of King Edward VII (r.1901-1910) and King George V (r.1910-1936).
BRITISH 1908 PATTERN CAVALRY TROOPER’S SWORD – Both the 1908 and 1912 Pattern Swords have long been regarded as the epitome of British sword design. The military authorities believed that they had finally produced a regulation sword whose effectiveness in combat could not be doubted. It is therefore a massive irony that both patterns were introduced when the use of the sword in the battlefield had become almost irrelevant, barring a few notable engagements during WW1, particularly in Palestine. Despite this, the obsession within the British Army to arm their combatants with swords was as strong as ever in the 1900‘s, despite mounting evidence that future wars would be fought with machine guns and heavy artillery.
BRITISH 1912 PATTERN CAVALRY OFFICER’S SWORD – It was inevitable that the success of the 1908 Pattern Cavalry Trooper’s Sword would prompt an officer’s version and this duly appeared in 1912. Virtually identical to the 1908 Pattern in specifications, it incorporated decorative styling to the bowl guard and an etched blade. The bowl guard has a “honeysuckle” design based on the open, pierced hilt of the 1896 Pattern Cavalry Officer’s Sword.
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.
