atscaper Posted 17 July , 2012 Share Posted 17 July , 2012 Hi, I'm looking for some help with the markings on an old bayonet. Some of them are obviously worn off but I was hoping someone more knowledgeable than I (which would be most people) could help me out with this one. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 17 July , 2012 Share Posted 17 July , 2012 It's a Pattern 1888 bayonet manufactured by Wilkinson in Oct 1896 This pattern of bayonet was used on the Magazine Lee-Metford and Magazine Lee-Enfield rifles in the main. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atscaper Posted 17 July , 2012 Author Share Posted 17 July , 2012 that was a quick response. Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 17 July , 2012 Share Posted 17 July , 2012 Quick response....Hmmmm.... 4thG - have you got some kind of alarm mechanism hooked up so that when a bayonet subject appears the bell goes off? Wouldn't have helped me though as I was cooking... Trajan PS: anyhting to add to P1907 hookie grips as per my earlier post? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 17 July , 2012 Share Posted 17 July , 2012 It could have been even quicker. I saw this post just minutes after it appeared but I thought I had better leave it for the "pointy" people to answer! Cheers TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 17 July , 2012 Share Posted 17 July , 2012 ... I'm looking for some help with the markings on an old bayonet... Hi Atscaper, and welcome to GWF. You will doubtless soon discover that there are quite a few people on GWF who like these P 1888 bayonets! It looks in reasonable condition so don't try any cleaning w/out seeking advice. But it would be nice to see photo's of any other markings on this one - for example, the other side of the blade and/or on the pommel. Trajan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atscaper Posted 20 July , 2012 Author Share Posted 20 July , 2012 The blade was one I was looking at buying and wanted to see what I would be actually be getting. The seller didn't know much about it. Anyways I picked it up today. I'll take a couple of more pics, there are some more markings on the other side of the blade. I'll post them up tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David B Posted 20 July , 2012 Share Posted 20 July , 2012 Only the quick and the dead around here Trajan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atscaper Posted 20 July , 2012 Author Share Posted 20 July , 2012 As promised here are a few more pics that show the remaining markings on the bayonet. Any more info is more than welcome. Sorry the pics are massive, I thought i had resized them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 21 July , 2012 Share Posted 21 July , 2012 The grip has a Wilkinson inspector's stamp (crown over number over W), as does the ricasso. The WD and arrowhead is the War Department acceptence mark and the X the bend mark, to indicate the blade has been tested and approved. Not certain what the letters and numbers on the cross guard are but they look to me like a regimental code and an individual bayonet number. I like those marks on the grip! Neither of my P 1888's have these! Trajan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atscaper Posted 22 July , 2012 Author Share Posted 22 July , 2012 thanks for that Trajan. The markings on the cross guard are RCGA 2 5 I think the RCGA is for Royal Canadian Garrison Artillary who were present at the Halifax Citadel Military Site which is in my area in the early 1900's. The 2 5 like you said my further identify it but I'm not sure. Out of curiosity what sort of value do these things have. This is my first one, I have a love of history and couldn't pass it up when I saw the opportunity to buy it. What about cleaning it, I know many older items are best left alone but was wondering what others typically do to spruce them up without ruining them. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now