British / South African Lee Enfield 1907 Pattern Bayonet by Sanderson, 1918
Straight single-fullered knife blade, steel hilt with muzzle ring, wood slab grips secured by two screws, steel beaked pommel with oil hole and locking button. Black leather scabbard with steel locket & circular ‘bullseye’ frog stud and steel chape piece. Brown leather frog of South African type.
The ricasso is stamped on one side with a crown over ‘1907’ (the pattern) ’12 ‘18’, indicating the manufacture date of December 1918, and the manufacturer’s mark ‘Sanderson’. On the other side it is stamped with a ‘broad arrow’ War Department stores mark, three crown inspection stamps with ‘E’ for Enfield and an ‘X’ indicating that it passed a manufacturer’s bending test.
The pommel is stamped next to the locking button with a letter ‘U’ enclosing a broad arrow, which is a South African government ownership mark. While it was manufactured in Britain, this bayonet evidently came into South African ownership. The chape piece of the scabbard is stamped next to the staple with ‘EB’ within a circle, which is probably a manufacturer mark.
The blade has some spots of patination and nicks to its edge. The ricasso, hilt and pommel have some light patination and polishing marks. The wood grips have some dents and chips. The scabbard fittings have a matt blued finish, with only light wear to raised edges revealing bright steel. The scabbard leather has surface rubbing, one dent near the throat piece, a spot of damage to the seam and slight opening of the stitching near the chape piece.
