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

[Beerhunter]

We used to un-braze the spike scabbard buttons, make good the curved side and use them for repairing/replacing missing buttons on the No5 scabbards. We did hundreds of 'em. I'm sure that it was an authorised No5 scabbard repair in the V-150 EMER!

Peter. Do they still teach Army Apprentices how to braze?

[Peter Laidler]

There no Army apprentices now! I think that brazing anything would mean that it was scrapped - or put out to private contract!

[Enfieldlock]

They were reputed to be ace at making holes in tins of condensed milk.

[Peter Laidler]

Only if you put your finger over the opposite hole. Otherwise you got a face-full of evaporated milk from the already pierced opposite side!

[Frederick303]

I used to have a British wooden entrenching tool handle that had a bayonet lug on it for the No 4 bayonet. this was on the small end of the handle, opposite of where to tool head would be placed. It was missing the metal head which I believe had a pick on it. In any case as it was it was supposed to be used for mine clearing, the bayonet used as probe.

The other home use for the no 4 bayonet is as a candle holder on Halloween. US custom to put out lights and let the kiddies get candies from you, used the candle lit No 4 Bayonets to line the path to the door. Tried it once, worked kind of well though the wax got in the internals and I never did that again as it took forever to get the wax out of the push plug.

[Peter Laidler]

The blade material was good for making punches but was soon bettered by the ubiquitous L1A1 rifle pistons and firing pins. The machine shop used to turn them out for us - well everyone in the workshops used to have drifts and punches made up using them - using the rotary grinder. It's only other use, the rotary grinder I mean, was sharpening lawn mower blades!

[Flying10uk]

I have seen a wartime photograph in book, cant think which of my many books, showing a group of British soldiers searching for mines in the North African Dessert. They were using the No4 pigsticker bayonet attached to an entrenching tool handle and their arms were fully out-stretched. The soldiers were all working in a line laying face down and wearing steel helmets. I'm guessing that the theory behind working like this is that if an anti-personal mine is set off there is a good chance of surviving albeit with serious injuries. I believe that U.K. soldiers are still trained to use bayonets as a last resort in an emergency to detect mines???

[browningautorifle]

if an anti-personal mine is set off there is a good chance of surviving

You are correct. And yes, although Canadian, I taught mine or trap detection the way you suspect...because it works.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Watched the documentary Cocaine Cowboys the other night. They were trlling the story of a "hit" that took place in the Miami airport where the perpatrator used a bayonet to commit the murder. They then show a photo of a bayonet (Chrome spike bayonet). I have no idea if it was the acutal weapon used.

[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!