Bayonet Stamping....

[Chris Boonzaier]

This has had me stumped for years

Found in South Africa... but is it Boer War ot German East Africa?

5

M.B.F.T.

9

Bayoner proofed in Dec 1900

Is the M.B. "Mounted Brigade XXX XXX" as part of the South African contingent in GEA?

Thanks

Chris

[shippingsteel]

Hello Chris, yes I believe this marking to be of Boer War vintage, but who's to know where the bayonet went or what service it saw after that.

It is a P1888 Mk.II bayonet which were first introduced in mid 1899, and if yours has the 1900 date stamped on it then it is certainly of that era.

I have had a quick look at some of my references and with some minor cross checking done, I now believe the marking is related to mounted Engineers.

As you have suggested, the M.B. in this context should indicate Mounted Brigade, and I think the accompanying F.T. in this case might mean Field Troop.

So you are looking for the 5th Mounted Brigade Field Troop. These type of units fought throughout the Boer War providing engineering support to the Cavalry.

With just a little more research you should be able to find out quite a bit about this type of unit, and what type of things they were doing during that war period.

Cheers, S>S

[trajan]

Going off on a tangent, I know, but I do find it rather odd that while some units seem to have marked their bayonets with something more then just a simple serial number, i.e., some form of unit name abbreviation, but others (at least after the P1907 was introduced) did not even bother with a serial number! I wonder if this is just an individual unit obsession? I.e., no regulations about thtis?

Trajan

[shippingsteel]

I believe it has more to do with the period in question ie. the exact moment in history when these things were being stamped ... or otherwise.

You do see far more unit markings on the earlier Boer War and pre Great War examples, probably because they had the time and the need for marks.

In the rush to equip all the new armies for battle on the Western Front, the need to stamp ID numbers was probably the furtherest thing from their minds.

Much of the equipment that went to war in the early stages would have been unit marked, but most of this was lost, and the replacement kit didn't matter.

Cheers, S>S