I recently picked up a No4 mk2* pig sticker bayonet with apparently Australian ownership markings and also the remains of desert brown paint. This is the only example with this combination of markings and desert paint indicating possible issue to Australian use in North Africa. Is any-one else aware of a similar bayonet, please?
Can we see piccies, please.
Generally speaking, North Africa and Italy were fought mainly with No1 rifles. Call me a bit of a cynic but an 'Australian' sand coloured No4 bayonet sound like some flowery description you'd you'd read on e-bay. I'd be thinking '.....buy the gun and not the story........'. I could be wrong of course
Yes if it was painted Kimberly red then I would say it is an Aussie issue !!!! "Mainland use only" !!!! :yikes: or some one has decided to paint er up and put in a story like PL says!!!!
Yes pictures would be good so investigation can go into the Australian stamping's on the bayonet I hope it did not cost you too much please excuse me for being cynical but I have been trapped early on in my flea bay buys but am pretty much onto the not so good sellers now.
You find if you ask them pertinent questions and get no reply or replies that are just outlandish it isn't a good buy.
Put the acetone to 'er and forget the story. See how clean it is underneath.
I have seen No4's in tan paint but never Australian in fact I do not remember ever seeing a No4 with any markings related to Australian use, South African would be my first guess as they painted a lot of stuff sand colored.
I believe they made their own #1 Mk3's until about 1950...so that sounds correct...Quote:
Originally Posted by old-smithy
I picked it up at a Militaria Fair a few months back with 3 other Pig sticker bayonets and I paid £15 for it which I think was a fair price. The reason I think it Australian is that it has a small "D" with a broad arrow above which I take to be Australian ownership/acceptance unless anyone can come up with an alternative explanation for this marking. I have 2 other No4 mk2* pig sticker bayonets with similar markings but without the remains of sand colour paint. I don't own a digital camera and so the only way of uploading pictures would be to take them with a film camera then scan but I doubt the markings would show clearly with this method. I have seen a photograph of pig sticker bayonets being used for mine detection in North Africa but can't remember where I saw the photo only that it was in a book.
Psssssst......... come a bit closer......... If old-smithy says what he says, they you can be rest assured that he'll have hit the proverbial nail right on the head! I've never known him to be wrong yet. Maybe one day.........
Thanks Peter, but I have been wrong in the past, I will need to dig out Spirit of the Pike and see if Graham mentions them, they may have used them on ten guns rather than No4 rifles????