Unusual Pakistani No. 9 Mk. I Bayonet

[marysdad]

I picked this up a month or so back and believe it to be the first known 1950-dated Pakistani No. 9 Mk. I socket bayonet.

This example was made at Metal Industries Ltd. in Lahore, prior to establishment of the Pakistan Ordnance Factory in Wah Cantonment. M.I.L. had produced No. I Mk. II and Mk. III bayonets during the Second World War, when Lahore was still under Indian jurisdiction. The blade profile is more rounded and the edge more crude than the British or P.O.F. No. 9 bayonets. The blade is both pinned and (rather sloppily) brazed to the socket. Prior to discovery of this example in 2016, all known M.I.L. examples were dated 1951. Discovery of this 1950-dated example demonstrates that the shipment of production equipment from R.O.F. Poole to Pakistan took place earlier than may have been believed. Only a small quantity of 1951-dated examples have surfaced, so production must have been low before manufacturing ceased and the factory was relocated to Wah, away from the border with India.

Information

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[old-smithy]

Mines a 51 :-(

[Flying10uk]

It's very rare to see a Pakistani No9 bayonet advertised for sale here in the U.K.. I did see a P.O.F. example advertised for sale earlier this year without a scabbard which I purchased.

[Peter Laidler]

It looks like the groove was cut using a two stage cutter or grinder which is quite unusual. Not that I'm into bayonets at all. Just that single 3/8" or so cut is simpler that 2x 3/16" cuts to my way of thinking. Brazing like that is what we call '.....snotty joints'! You can occasionally feel the blades loose in the socket. We were told to ignore what we saw as 'oil squeeze' type movement and only take notice if you could actually feel movement. Not that they ever really gave us any trouble - because they were rarely used! Unlike the troublesome No7 types!

Nice find Marysdad.

[Flying10uk]

I did wonder if the braze was a repair to a loose/damaged bayonet rather than it being made with a pinned and brazed joint?

[Peter Laidler]

I'm not sure that it'll be a brazed repair as such because there'd be no penetration into the loose rivetted joint. Just old oil - no flux, no adhesion = no use as they say!

[Flying10uk]

Here are some pictures of my later Pakistani P.O.F. No9 bayonet which I referred to earlier in this thread.

[Peter Laidler]

Definately a more angularly cut lower/cutting edge and groove - and finish generally. I wonder just how many variables there'll be of these No9 bayonets.......

[marysdad]

The later examples produced at the P.O.F. in Wah, are more comparable to British Government production. The M.I. Ltd. bayonets are crude by comparison. These are more comparable to the examples I have that were made by Byfords Ltd., which are also crudely made.

The British No. 9 Bayonet and Foreign Copies

[Peter Laidler]

That's a very interesting little thread relating to the No9 variants Mary's dad. Thanks. But I don't think that there'd be a need to re-weld and re-finish the front grip-screw hole if a UZI bayonet blade was to be utilised in a SA No9 bayonet. The hole would just remain hidden and redundant - as are the 'spare' holes in a No5 and L1A1 blade.

Who'd have thought that there was so much written about the humble No9 bayonet!