No. 4 accessories

[KarlJ]

I'm looking to pick up some accessories for my No. 4 MkII Fazerkley dated 1949. I'd like to get an oiler and the correct bayonet. What manufacturer would should I be looking for? I know it would be a bakalite oiler.

As far as the bayonet goes, when I bought it, it had a Long Branch marked spike. What manufacturer should I have? I've never seen a Fazerkley marked. Should it be a spike or blade bayonet?

Information

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[Beerhunter]

It could be any oil bottle that you like. They didn't match them to the rifles.

[Peter Laidler]

Are you SURE that it's a Mk2 dated 1949 or is it a Mk1/2? I'll send you a Fazakerley marked spike bayonet as soon as I find my number and letter stamps,

[Steve H. in N.Y.]

Any of the different "marks" of spike bayonet would be fine and any manufacturer would actually be correct, too. These were issued and reissued according to which one was on top of the pile at the time. The British bayonets were generally made by contractors and the markings can sometimes be tough to identify so if you want a British bayonet just look for one without a Savage or Long Branch stamp. No.9 blade bayonet production began in 1947 so one of those would also be fine with your rifle. They're all available cheaply enough that you really need one of each.

[RJW NZ]

Ok, here's a rainy day, time on my hands, question about the barmy army and bayonets.

If I was a soldier in ww1 or so, I'd be right pleased with my 1903 or 1907 bayonet. I know you're not allowed to sharpen them, (even if I don't know why, it seems bleedin obvious they should be sharpened!), but I'd be happy that a bayonet is a good bit of multi use tool. Whacking up a bit of firewood, opening cans of spam or hash, looking good on parade and frightening anyone it was going at...multi tools for the weight of one.

Why o why would a single purpose nail on a stick ww2 no4mk1 bayonet ever have even been considered, let alone put in practice. I notice that few if any other of the ww2 combatants gave away their shiny scary knife on a stick, in favor of a nail on a stick, it just doesn't make any sense at all.

Q - So, why exactly are bayonets not sharpened? Surely a sharp bayonet does its job better, much better, as well as having secondary uses, something any soldier on the front would appreciate.

(Surely the idea that a sharp bayonet could be a hazard to friendly soldiers is laughable, and a quick inspection of bayonets at any army surplus store reveals that plenty of countries do use sharper bayonets, ie ak47)

Q - What exactly were the spike bayonets considered good at that made them better than a blade? I get shortening the 1907 as there's no more cavalry around, but surely a blade with multi uses even works well in a bayonet (on rifle) fight.

(The only possibility I can conceive of is the gruesome concept that when stabbed human muscles cramp hard around the object (personnel, receiving, experience) and that a blade bayonet might be trapped in the target long enough for the soldier to be overpowered in return, whereas a nail might be less prone to this effect)

Q - I see the US soldier has his nice K bar knife, an excellent bit of kit. What was a Brit soldier issued that was comparable?

[krinko]

My 8/49 Fazakerley Mk2 wears a No9 blade bayonet made by Poole, also in 1949----no loose ends on this one.
-----krinko

[Beerhunter]

Why o why would a single purpose nail on a stick ww2 no4mk1 bayonet ever have even been considered, let alone put in practice. I notice that few if any other of the ww2 combatants gave away their shiny scary knife on a stick, in favor of a nail on a stick, it just doesn't make any sense at all.

Q - What exactly were the spike bayonets considered good at that made them better than a blade? I get shortening the 1907 as there's no more cavalry around, but surely a blade with multi uses even works well in a bayonet (on rifle) fight.

I was considered at the time, and still is by many, that a bayonet is for killing people when fitted on the end of a rifle and should not be (mis)used for other purposes.

The Romans found out that a blade only need penetrate a human body by a very few inches in order to cause enough trauma to put an opponent out of the fight. Research between the wars suggested that the pointy object so inserted did not even need to be a blade, and so the 'Pig Sticker' (as it was fondly known in the British Army) was born out of that research. It is light, cheap to make ("Remember soldier, your personal weapon was made by the manufacturer who put in the lowest bid.") and will do the job - but not several others as well.

Oddly enough, it has been suggested that the No. 5 bayonet and the No. 7 were designed because it was felt that the Japanese would not be "frightened enough" of the Pig Sticker.

I suspect that most armies now use Bowie type blades because they look the part and thus give the soldier confidence in the use of them rather than any intrinsic efficacy of the design.

[JB White]

I suspect that most armies now use Bowie type blades because they look the part and thus give the soldier confidence in the use of them rather than any intrinsic efficacy of the design.

Many of today's bayonets are hailed as 'multi-function'. Just one part of reducing overall load weight of the basics. The individual soldier can then carry other essential items into the field and still remain highly mobile.

[villiers]

The spike is easier to insert and retrieve (this is VERY important when using it on the run, when you don´t want it stuck, unable to pull it out again). It is less prone to breaking (the knife type bayo breaks quite easily).

And most of the European armies prior to WWI also used spike bayonets.

[KarlJ]

First of all, thanks everyone for all the response and thank you Peter for the generous offer. It's definitely a No4 Mk2.


I'll see what I can get for a blade bayonet. I'd prefer not to get a POF.

Here's the spike bayonet that came with the rifle when I bought it.....