British 1887 Pattern MkIV Martini Henry Sword Bayonet by Enfield, 1887
Straight unfullered spear-pointed blade. Steel hilt with comma-shaped quillon and stepped muzzle ring, steel beaked pommel. Chequered leather grips (technically, knurled) secured by four steel rivets, leaf spring locking mechanism secured to one side with a screw. Black leather scabbard with steel mounts at the throat and chape, with frog hook.
The blade is stamped at the ricasso on one side with a crown over ‘V.R.’ for Queen Victoria (this mark mostly erased by polishing with only the V.R. clearly visible), the manufacture date /87 for 1887, a reissue stamp 98 for 1898 and a crown inspection mark with ‘B’. It is stamped on the other side with a War Department mark of a broad arrow over ‘WD’, and a crown inspection mark with ‘E’ for Enfield and an ‘X’ indicating the blade passed a manufacturer’s bending test.
The spine of the blade is stamped with two further crown inspection stamps for Enfield. The exposed tang is stamped with a Birmingham repair mark: a crown over ‘BR’ over ‘66’. ‘N’ and a chevron-shaped mark. The pommel is stamped with the serial number ‘5307’. The scabbard is stamped next to the throat with the serial number ‘5312’, which has been stamped over another mark which appears to read ‘CIF 200’.
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. Enfield produced two successive models of trials bayonets in 1886-7 in order to settle on the design for the new model, with 23,668 of the first and 23,569 of the second type.
The final design having been worked out, Enfield then manufactured 36,400 new 1887 Pattern Mk I bayonets, but trials bayonets could also be put into service by converting them to the final design. 21,113 of the 23,668 second model trials bayonets were converted in 1887 to Mk I specification.
The Mk II and Mk III models were all newly manufactured but in 1891, the Mk IV was approved. This model was another reuse of old stock: it was made initially out 22,845 (nearly all) of the 1st model trials bayonets, but later in 1894 1,196 of the Mk I bayonets were converted too.
This bayonet lacks any of the ‘E-M’ stamps seen on the trials models, suggesting it was a newly-made Mk I produced in 1887 then converted to Mk IV in 1894, which if true would make it uncommon among Mk IVs.
The blade is bright with some old polishing marks, refinished during its service life either upon conversion or as part of the marked repair at Birmingham. A few tiny spots of cleaned pitting along its edge. Its tip is undamaged. The hilt is bright with a few tiny spots of patination, the pommel more mottled light patination. The leather grips have light handling wear, a spot of heavier wear to the knurling and one indentation on the leaf spring side.
The scabbard fittings have some old polishing marks, light speckled patination to the throat piece, a couple of spots of heavier patination to the chape piece at the edge and at the very tip, the latter also with some light pitting. The leather of the scabbard is good with only light surface rubbing, a couple of small dents at the edges.
