British 1887 Pattern MkIII Martini Henry Sword Bayonet by Wilkinson, 1889
Straight unfullered spear-pointed blade. Steel hilt with comma-shaped quillon and stepped muzzle ring. Chequered leather grips (technically, knurled) secured by two steel rivets with washers. Black leather scabbard with steel mounts at the throat and chape, with frog hook. White leather frog with buckled retaining strap.
The blade is stamped at the ricasso on one side with a crown over ‘V.R.’ for Queen Victoria, the manufacture date ’89 for 1889, and the maker’s mark ‘WILKINSON SWORD COMPANY LONDON’. It is stamped on the other side with a War Department mark of a broad arrow over ‘WD’, and a crown inspection mark with ‘W’ for Wilkinson.
The spine of the blade is stamped with two further crown inspection stamps for Wilkinson. The exposed tang is stamped with ‘N’ and a chevron-shaped mark. The pommel is stamped with the serial number ‘7929’. The throat and chape pieces of the scabbard are both stamped under the staples with a crown inspection mark. The reverse of the scabbard is faintly stamped next to the seam with another broad arrow over ‘WD’, another crown inspection mark and what looks like ‘I’ over ’25’.
The 1887 Pattern bayonet was introduced into service in the face of the ‘British Bayonet Scandal’ – a controversy (eagerly whipped up by the media) that British Army bayonets were made of inferior metal and/or badly heat-treated, and the Army was outsourcing blade manufacture overseas to the detriment of British industry. The Government responded by centralising bayonet manufacture as much as possible at the RSAF in Enfield. However, Enfield was already overstretched and would not be able to manufacture the new pattern for some time.
A tender was put out for private manufacturers to fill the gap – German manufacturers made the cheapest offers but politics moved the government to choose the British firm Wilkinson of Pall Mall. This contract was instrumental in the rise of Wilkinson as a company and they manufactured around 42,000 1887 Pattern MkIIIs in 1888 and 1889, which made up 83% of the total supplied.
The blade is bright with some old polishing marks, no edge damage. The hilt and pommel have a few spots of patination. The leather grips have some light handling wear. The leather of the scabbard is excellent with only a few tiny scuffs. A previous owner has tied a piece of white string to hang the bayonet by its frog.
