British Bayonet

[Flying10uk]

If they are doing bayonet practice with scabbards attached it probably explains the unusual damage that there is to the chape on the scabbard to one of my Indian 1907 mk2 bayo's that has been brazed repaired but then partially damaged again. I've been trying to figure out how it may have been possible for this damage to have occurred, for several years, and I wondered if it was some sort of fluke battle damage. Probably just bayonet training/practice after seeing photo 2 above. I will see about posting a picture of it another day.

[browningautorifle]

doing bayonet practice with scabbards attached

In the book, if men are present then the scabbard not only has to be on but we go further and tie it in place. I've seen untied scabbards come adrift. It's not for the gallows, but for man to man practice. They aren't to be jammed into the ground or targets, just so they don't injure a man. When attacking the gallows or ground or targets, they're normally bare blades.

[Peter Laidler]

BAR is right. When men are on the fighting ground, usually with 'parry sticks', on the advance to contact towards the dummies on the gallows scabbards are always fixed and tied

[Flying10uk]

Ok, thanks for the information about keeping the scabbard on, Jim and Peter.

Here are some pictures of the bayonet and scabbard which were taken before I read your posts. I have posted them for interest and to ask if anyone can figure out the damage to the chape, please. This is how it came to me and it does look like damage rather than a manufacturing fault. It looks to have been repaired by being brazed but then partly damaged again. Has anyone seen something similar to this before? Perhaps the soldier who was using it had to crawl over very rough rocky ground for a long period and the chape rubbed over rocks???

[Peter Laidler]

Just what we call fair wear and tear. I've seen scabbards FAR worse than that after a days fighting in the FIBUA house clearing gallery.

On an aside BAR and Gil, do you remember that some of the long parry sticks had the hard cloth covered ball on one end (as shown) that the DS would try to 'bayonet' you with or push you about but some parry sticks also had a 4 or 5" steel ring on the other end that he could swing around and hook your rifle and bayonet with so you had to wiggle it free and back-off. REALLY hard knackering work on IT days (Infantry Training days....) for us REME blokes

[browningautorifle]

if anyone can figure out the damage to the chape

It really is hard to say what happened. It's like the injuries of a man over decades, often he can't even tell you ho it happened.

the long parry sticks

I remember them well. Ours had a manila rope loop at one end and the other had a large knot of a lump. The stave would have been 6 or 8 ft long. You tried to point the loop and if you missed you could expect a buttstroke with the heavy end. It was more for balance I think that effect. The NCO would sometimes have the loop at a tree so you could try to pin it. Then a miss would bring the knot to the back of the helmet... We had the M1 helmets Peter, yours would have been a disaster at that point.

[Aragorn243]

I can't even tell you how I got injuries from yesterday. My wife will say "what did you do to your back?" No idea, huge bruise or cut. Legs, arms, cuts, bruises, no idea half the time. High pain tolerance and I just keep on going.