Royal Air Force Machete, 54 Squadron RAF, Dated 1955 by Kitchin

Broad single-edged machete blade swelling to the point. Black plastic slab grips, secured to the exposed full-width tang with five copper rivets and washers, lanyard hole. Brown leather scabbard with prominent seam on the rear side running to the chape end at the front, throat reinforced by riveted buff hide, leather belt loop and retaining strap.

The blade is stamped on one side with ‘S&J Kitchin Ltd Sheffield No 2640’, a broad arrow War Department mark, and the manufacture date ‘1955’. The other side of the blade is stamped ‘54’. The front panel of the scabbard is stencilled in white with ‘54’. The rear of the frog is also marked with ’54 SQN’ in black, perhaps marker pen. Under this writing the leather is stamped with ‘S H & Co 1966’. Taken together these markings indicate that both blade and scabbard were used by 54 Squadron RAF or 54 Squadron RAF Regiment.

This utilitarian Army machete was standard issue from the end of the First World War through to at least the 1960s.