Some interesting old photos with swords

[Matt Easton]

Nice photos - he was born in 1888, so I guess this photo is from around 1905, as he looks about 17:



And here about to go to war - indeed with what looks like an 1890 pattern to me - the hilt doesn't look long enough for the '99 (perhaps because he was mounted police here rather than frontline):



"Sgt Harry Coverdale, Military Mounted Police on mare 'Vidy', attached to 16th Lancers in the field, before going to the Somme in France where he won the military medal for saving a wounded officer on the battlefield of the Somme."

[Ben Bevan]

Thanks for loading the photos Matt, as you'll read from the archive his wife was also called Vidy, a brave man indeed!!

[David gray]

A salted paper portrait from the mid 1840's. A subject and history painter concentrating on scenes of later Scottish history. These drawings were published in 1881 in "Ancient Scottish Weapons" almost as good as a photo.

[Matt Easton]

It's not often you can spot such a minute detail in an early photo as a patent solid hilt, but here you can! : Lt Arthur Ramsay Macdonald of Sandside of the Royal Field Artillery in circa 1906:

[J.G. Hopkins]

It's not often you can spot such a minute detail in an early photo as a patent solid hilt, but here you can! : Lt Arthur Ramsay Macdonald of Sandside of the Royal Field Artillery in circa 1906:

I wonder if he was related to Donald Ramsay Macdonald, RA, who also owned a patent solid hilt sword: http://www.victorianwars.com/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=128

[J.G. Hopkins]

Here are a few images from an 1898 edition of Navy and Army Illustrated which depict American officers of the period. PM with your email address if you want to see larger pics.

Jonathan

[Ralph Grinly]

Here's one from Down Under. A rather motley-looking group of South Australian Volunteer Corps in around 1860

[Richard Schenk]

According to Peterson re: the 1860 cutlass " Even though a new model was adopted in 1917, these cutlasses were still to be found in the arms racks of some American naval vessels at the beginning of WWII."

If it can happen here it can happen anywhere.

Actually, they were apparently around even after that. Here is an extract I made from another SFI thread from about 2011:

Question: “In the big sword collection I picked up a few months ago, this Naval cutlass was in the group. I initially chocked it up to being a replica but now I'm not so sure… The part that made me assume is was a replica is that the grip is not leather but cast aluminum. But as I was looking at this again, I noticed… The stamping of the rack number appears to be old and not recently done, and the Grandson of the former owner said he acquired his pieces around 1950 and 1960. Is anyone aware of aluminum grip cutlasses like this?”

Reply: “Sir: I was present at New London CT when a US sub was de-commissioned, circa 1971. There were Model 1860 and Model 1918(?) Cutlasses in the arms rack.....Some of the 1860 models had been reconditioned with a grip like yours...I was surprised to see such items still in use!! ”

[T. Graham]

This interesting group show the unit at summer camp.The officer carries the M1860 Staff and line and the NCO a bone grip sword with a leather scabbard. This link my prove interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_New_York_Militia

[T. Graham]

This is Brigadier General of Rhode Island Volunteers Nelson Gore ca. 1900, with a presentation grade M1860 Staff and Line Officers sword that is similar to one in my collection by Ames sword Co., Chickopee Massachusetts.

[David gray]

British Lancers charge German artillery in 1916 and a wounded cuirassier has his armour removed for treatment.

[hc bright]

Does carved in stone count? This is Charles Hilton Woosnam's sword



And his graves-

[Ben Bevan]

Hopefully a photo new to most of us, care of nzhistory.govt.nz, he either is or is shortly to be promoted to Lieut. Colonel as Inspector of the newly formed Armed Constabulary in 1867. Clearly a British 1853p Cavalry Troopers Sword ( you can just enlarge it enough to see the two opposing rivets in the grip ).

[Vladimir Sukhomlinov]

I have a photo of such an officer with a sword arr.1860.
Since I’m not an American, I don’t know what time interval this photo is and what type of troops this officer was serving in, but I like the photo.

[Ben Bevan]

Came across this interesting photo of an (as yet) unidentified regiment, Mominabad ( modern Karachi ) 1894. You can clearly see that most of the Sowars and NCO’s are carrying a Maltese Cross Pattern, without the later hand stop, in a local leather scabbard and a few with a fairly straight bladed 1821 type.

[Will Mathieson]

Ben they look like the 1885p sword, the 1882 has a rounded guard at the top. Could also be of local manufacture. I had an Indian maltese cross sword but with hilt construction of an officer's 1821p, back strap and fishskin covered grip.

[Will Mathieson]

Looking at the other NCO his sword looks like the 1882p with a rounded guard. The 1882p short has a 33" blade, the long 1882p version did not last long in service.

[Ben Bevan]

Cheers Will, they look to have relatively short blades on the front NCO’s, definitely no triangular hand stop. Scoured through my Indian books, Carman, Lovett, Mollo, Chater, Bowling etc but still not sure which regiment, hopefully Gordon will come to the rescue.

[Rafael Rojas]

Has he wrapped something around his knucklebow to increase the strength of it?

[gordon byrne]

Hi Ben, interesting photo. I've been trying to make our what has been written on the photo however, the photo is to small and pixilates when enlarged; the key to identification may well be the British officer, but I need a high resolution scan. Can you assist?

[Ben Bevan]

PM sent Gordon.

[Ben Bevan]

Further research (given that the Mominabad Cantonment came under the auspices of the Nizam of Hyderabad) and other contemporary photos, points to the regiment being The 2nd Lancers, Hyderabad Contingent, later known as 29th Lancers (Deccan Horse). The uniform would be rifle green.

[Thomas Fritz Zehe]

I like this topic.
Enclosed is a photo with Russian and Japanese military personnel.
I think it was taken between 1905 and 1917.

[Juan J. Perez]

Hey, weren't they at war at the moment?

Nice picture anyway. I suppose it was taken during the signature of a peace treaty, a truce or the like.