Australian Lee Enfield 1907 Pattern Bayonet by Lithgow
Straight single-fullered knife blade, steel hilt with muzzle ring, wood slab grips secured by two screws, steel beaked pommel with locking button. Black leather No. 1 Mk 2 scabbard with steel locket & teardrop frog stud and steel chape piece.
The ricasso is stamped on one side with a shield containing ‘1907’ and ‘I’, surmounted by a seven-pointed star containing the letter ‘A’, which is an early Lithgow manufacture mark incorporating the pattern, as well as ‘1917’ (the manufacture date), and the manufacturer’s mark ‘Lithgow’. On the other side it is stamped with a shield containing the letter ‘L’, another Lithgow manufacture mark, two Lithgow proof marks (seven-pointed stars containing the letter ‘A’) and an ‘X’ indicating that it passed a manufacturer’s bending test. The hilt is stamped with ‘4MD’ indicating issue to the 4th Military District (South Australia) and the serial number ‘15383’. The pommel is stamped with the serial number ‘71925’. The chape piece of the scabbard is stamped next to the staple with ‘RE’ within a circle, indicating that it was manufactured by Remington.
The blade has an even dark parkerised finish with some wear at the tip and along the spine, exposing bright steel beneath. The ricasso, hilt and pommel have a blued finish with wear to raised edges like the locking button. The wood grips have some dents. The scabbard fittings have a blued finish, over which olive green paint has been applied. This paint has chipped in places, particularly raised edges, exposing the blued steel, which has also rubbed in a few spots exposing bright steel (eg the frog stud and chape end). Some small dents to the chape piece. The scabbard leather has some rubbing and scuffing, its stitching is all intact.
