Canadian M1910 Ross Bayonet Marked to the 2nd Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery
This example has the more common Mark II unfullered ‘Quill-point’ blade, modified from the original for better performance in the thrust. Wood grips, leather scabbard with steel throat and button chape, leather stapled frog.
Pommel is marked with the broad arrow, a crown inspection stamp, ‘11’, indicating that it is a Mark II, ‘11/11’, indicating that it was manufactured in November 1911, and on the curved underside hand-stamped ‘3.12 / 2. / R.C.G.A / 222’, indicating that this bayonet was issued to the 2nd Brigade, Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery, weapon number 222, in March 1912. The maker’s mark of the Ross Rifle Company is almost completely rubbed away, with only the last few letters of ‘Patented 1907’ still visible. Scabbard is unmarked.
The 2nd Brigade Royal Canadian Garrison Artillery was a militia unit
The Ross rifle was used during WW1 by Canadian troops but underperformed on the battlefield and was withdrawn in 1916 in favour of the Lee Enfield. Most were kept for training purposes while 20,000 were sold to the United States. Thousands were issued to the British Home Guard during WW2, and a few bayonets used by the SAS to fit Thompson submachine guns.
