jscott Posted 20 May , 2012 Share Posted 20 May , 2012 Just checking back in after a terribly busy week at work and I'm glad to see that the forum is back up and running again! Looks like my wild punt on the Remington ID was way off the mark...! That is a lovely hookie S>S, very tough one to improve on. I've only been collecting bayonets for a year or two, but it seems to me that the hookies are increasing in price on an almost daily basis (and are far far out of my budget). May I ask what regiment it is marked to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 20 May , 2012 Author Share Posted 20 May , 2012 Looks like my wild punt on the Remington ID was way off the mark...! That is a lovely hookie ... May I ask what regiment it is marked to? Don't worry about it J (they are similar) at least you took a shot ... and didn't resort to blatant 'cheating' like Trajan did.!! Fancy googling photos on the internet ... As for the regimental mark (I knew somebody had to ask) the problem is I'm not certain as the middle letter is mostly worn off, as it sits right on the wearing surface. It does look to be stamped with the capital letters INF which would indicate the Inniskilling Fusiliers, the I and the F are clear but the N is still a little hard to make out. There are not that many other options, however if they used a letter I stamp to represent the 1st Battalion of the regiment, then it could be Northumberland Fusiliers.? It bugs me, and I have even resorted to the white dusting powder and the magnifying glass, which I never use.! Of course the rack numbers below are all crystal clear. Anyway I have gone with my gut on this one, and have written it down in my notes as belonging to the Inniskilling Fusiliers, so thats probably as close as we shall get.! Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 20 May , 2012 Share Posted 20 May , 2012 ... and didn't resort to blatant 'cheating' like Trajan did.!! Fancy googling photos on the internet ... S>S, I am shocked!!! Actually, I identified them through my own research notes... When I first got hold of a copy of kiesling 2nd edition I made my own check-list of ww1 bayonets and their characteristics, including lengths and details such as quillion or not... Made a guess on the blade length from the blade/handle proportions, and that's how I identified them... Trajan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 20 May , 2012 Author Share Posted 20 May , 2012 BUT, it's always possible to glance quickly through stored photographs and the like, which is how I identified these ones! Thats not what he said ... sorry if I misunderstood but thats what I thought you meant when you said you were looking through photographs, but it doesn't matter. Either way I was only joking, the whole challenge idea was all for fun anyway, how you get the answer is up to you. You lads may want to google "taking the piss".! Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 20 May , 2012 Share Posted 20 May , 2012 ...You lads may want to google "taking the .... Oooooohhhhh, language!!!! Be careful, you'll get some of them warning points if you're not careful!!!! Zum wohl! Trajan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 20 May , 2012 Author Share Posted 20 May , 2012 Oooooohhhhh, language!!!! Be careful, you'll get some of them warning points if you're not careful!!!! What language.? There's nothing wrong with THAT language - and I try to do that at least once every day (perfectly normal) ... And warning points, BAH ... I'd take them as a badge of honour.! But do you seriously think any Mods ever read these threads.!? Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 21 May , 2012 Share Posted 21 May , 2012 ... And warning points, BAH ... I'd take them as a badge of honour.! But do you seriously think any Mods ever read these threads.!?... You forgot the 'HUMBUG(s)!' But I agree re: warning points as a badge of honour - I think I was in the first five to get them (this suggests that yes, the mods do read even the most obscure of threads...) Op uw gezondheid! Trajan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 21 May , 2012 Author Share Posted 21 May , 2012 So what did you do to get some warning points Trajan.? Don't tell me you blew a raspberry at somebody ... I bet they were distraught.! And I now see what you're getting at with your signing off remarks, very clever.! Unfortunately I'm not that bilingual so I needed to translate. Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 21 May , 2012 Share Posted 21 May , 2012 So what did you do to get some warning points Trajan.? Don't tell me you blew a raspberry at somebody ... I bet they were distraught.! And I now see what you're getting at with your signing off remarks, very clever.! 1) The offence was: inciting a certain member of Admin to show a photograph of their naked knees 2) Imeqatigiitta! - my last one for now, as I'll be back to normal soon! Trajan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 21 May , 2012 Author Share Posted 21 May , 2012 So I have added a couple more 'everyday' P1907s here, but these stand out by being found still in their original bright polished finish, with no reissues. They do look very striking in the shiny bright finish but they can be devils of things to photograph properly - the reflected light is always the big problem. This first one is a very strange Enfield example that was made in 1915, in its original shape without having the clearance hole drilled into the pommel. Also features a very unusual markings setup, with only limited inspection markings and no bend test X, possibly due to the circumstances at Enfield. At that time in 1915 the bayonet production shop at RSAF Enfield was undergoing a major transition, moving out to make way for extra rifle production. I believe the Bayonet Shop was wholly relocated, with all the operations and machine tools becoming under the responsibilty of the Sanderson factory. So this example is missing some of its normal inspection marks, however it does look to have been 'master struck' with the 'famous' Crown 35E stamp. Its history will always be open to conjecture but one thing is certain, it is still mostly in its original shape and doesn't appear to have seen much service. Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 21 May , 2012 Author Share Posted 21 May , 2012 This is another of my treasured early Australian examples, which once featured the hook quillon before having it unceremoniously lopped during its time in service. Also one of my earliest P1907s being made in 1909 by Sanderson, this was part of a shipment that was sent out to Australia before the war, being 'sold out service'. It has the early Australian Military District markings of Tasmania stamped over the crossguard, as well as evidence of 'Territorial' use at some stage, stamped with a T. The 6MD marking is only low four digits so nice and early, while what I think is Territorial markings appears much like a rack number on the visible side of the pommel. Of course I guess the T could stand for Tasmania, which would probably make more sense.? It's something that I hadn't considered before but it may be a possibility. Now that I think of it, I have seen the other Australian states represented with their first letter stamped on the pommel, together with numbers so thats likely what it is. Before the Military District markings on the crossguard became standardised, they were firstly stamped over the pommel, and then with just the letter across the guard. Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sawdoc34 Posted 27 May , 2012 Share Posted 27 May , 2012 S/S you certainly have some real beauts there bud You gonna put a few more up? ( keeps me occupied when I can get afree internet connction in the hotels, £18 they wanted for 24 hrs access or a fiver for an hour in 1 hotel chain, needless to say the bar got my vote there) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jscott Posted 30 May , 2012 Share Posted 30 May , 2012 That Aussie HQR is a beauty S>S, thanks for posting. I would say that the HQR is my favourite bayonet (given that the hookies are WAY out of my price range), and I particularly like the examples that have had the quillons removed in a rough and ready manner - just like the one you have posted. The markings are an obvious bonus. Ive been keeping my eye out for an example of these early markings to no avail (yet)! Also, I just picked up a 1909 EFD with a super bright finish on the blade. Is this finish what you are referring to your post re the 1915 EFD above? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 30 May , 2012 Author Share Posted 30 May , 2012 Also, I just picked up a 1909 EFD with a super bright finish on the blade. Is this finish what you are referring to your post re the 1915 EFD above? Hi there J - yes the early P1907 bayonets were all made in the "bright" polished finish which means clean shiny steel, as opposed to being buffed up last week.! Then during the war it was ordered that the blades be "sand blasted" instead of being polished, mainly to reduce reflection but also I think to speed-up production. Apart from early hookies that went out of circulation prior to the war, it is surprisingly difficult to find bayonets that are still in period finish, most have been reworked. While the bright finish is quite easy to distinguish, I also have a few examples of the early sandblasting, and it is very different to the everyday P1907s we see today. Finding and acquiring bayonets that have NOT been through any latter period refurbishment is not as easy as you might think, and is something I'm passionate about. Anyway, just keep in mind that I know nothing and that anything I might pass on has only been learned from experience. I wouldn't want anyone wrongly informed.! On the other hand if you want a proper reference you can find a mention in the LOC #17124 dated 4th Feb 1915, concerning the Sword-bayonet, Pattern 1907, Mark I. "For future manufacture during the duration of the war, the blades of the above-mentioned sword-bayonets will be sand-blasted instead of being polished." Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
findabetterole Posted 1 November , 2012 Share Posted 1 November , 2012 The very early '07's from Australia were in fact manufactured by Enfield, until the Lithgow foundry could come on line at full production. The 'MD' stamping is a WW2 expediant. Seph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shippingsteel Posted 2 November , 2012 Author Share Posted 2 November , 2012 The very early '07's from Australia were in fact manufactured by Enfield, until the Lithgow foundry could come on line at full production. The 'MD' stamping is a WW2 expediant. To put it in the nicest way possible Seph ... that above statement of yours is incorrect ... and its an area which I 'should' know.! I guess I am a historian, collector & researcher in that order.! I have researched these markings over several years from a number of sources and have built up a spreadsheet which shows the distributions and timelines of all the early Aussie bayonets. The first Australian used P1907's of 1909 vintage were made by Wilkinson and Sanderson, while in my records Enfield did not supply any to Australia until 1911. I do have examples of these. The State or Military District markings began to be applied shortly before WW1 when all the earlier bayonets were marked as well. They then continued this process right through to post war. The first method of marking was to use the State initial together with a serial number, but by 1914 all the markings were using the MD format and were pushing the serials into the 5 digit range. Cheers, S>S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
findabetterole Posted 2 November , 2012 Share Posted 2 November , 2012 Ok... I'm out of touch... more reading up required. Seph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 20 December , 2014 Share Posted 20 December , 2014 Guys, thanks for the comments - so I take it that I should continue.? Okay then, so here is a few more ... and enough of the questions Trajan (is layman a rude word.?) ... This one was made by Clemen & Jung of Solingen in 1876 and the workmanship is outstanding. Easy to see why the Solingen cutlers were considered the best in the world. Don't know about layman being a rude word, SS, but cross-posting probably is a rude expression on GWF! Nonetheless, I'm cross-posting this from http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=208575&page=6#entry2202537, post 141, in case you don't see it. The twin of yours but regimentally-marked! A W/76, Clemen and Jung, Solingen, marked 67.R.6.45. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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