The lowly spike bayonet. What odd thing have you seen or used it for?

Talked to a friend yesterday that said his Dad had a green metal 5 gallon drum of the things.His Dad would drive them into trees and use them like a ladder to get into his tree stand.

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

Talking of which....... Has anyone seen those handle thinggies for the spike and No9 bayonet? It is a handle thing that fits into the rifle muzzle fitting that is a ....., well, a handle! I never ever saw or heard of one while I was in or ever saw reference to such a thing in the V-150 EMER - or anywhere! Are they the figment of someones fertile imagination or based on something real - or what?

I saw one offered by an obvious expert at a table at a Bisley Arms fair who told me that they weren't generally issued but only for use by and issued to those special people. I didn't look too hard but it looked........ Anyway!

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Peter,

I have never seen or heard of one, but to me it seemed a logical thing to do, so I made one.
Fits either a No 9 or spike., but made with the No 9 in mind.

Best,
Richard.

Just seeing if I can attach an image or two!

Very nice work! ^

There is also an all metal version of the handle, a kind of knurled tube with finger guard affair, which Peter may refer to and fits the No4 & No9 Bayonets. Worldwide Arms were selling them a few years ago and if I remember correctly they advertised them as being issued to U.K. troops for use on D Day. Mr Graham Priest also mentions them in his book, The Spirit Of The Pike, (if my memory is correct) and also has some photos of what appears to me as exactly the same item. Mr Priest suggests that this all metal handle was manufactured post war in South Africa. Perhaps they were made during WW2 in the U.K. and post war in South Africa???

No story about a spike bayonet, but I remember using an earthing spike to open a beer can when I had forgotten to take a church key along with the cans. A spike bayonet would have done the job as well, in fact better - sharper point!

Anyone else who carried/used one notice that they always seemed to be top-heavy when dangling in the frog. Someone said that there was a special or later frog that held the scabbard lower down - or something like that - that didn't cause it. If there was such a frog that corrected the angle-of-dangle, nobody told our dopey arms storeman!

While in the attic at the weekend I managed to find the original advert in the World Wide Arms Catalogue which I still have. It didn't say when the handle was made or who it was to have been issued to only that it was for the No4 & No9 bayonets in order to turn them into fighting knives. It also stated that there was an arrow marking on it. But in the same catalogue there was also a kind of cruciform fighting knife with a knurled handle which had a No4 type scabbard with it by the looks of it. This was a complete knife not with a detachable handle. It looked a bit like just the cruciform blade of No4 bayonet with a handle fixed to it; very slender looking. This was said to be WW2 vintage. Obviously my memory was getting a bit mixed up with the two items

I wonder if anyone has tabulated every variant and sub variant by maker - and sub contractor don't forget. If I had a year off.......... Anyone?

The "Spirit of the Pike" by Graham Priest is the book to have, covers all the spike bayonets, at least all the known ones when he published it back in the 2000's

Great book and a very kindly chap.