Bayonet- & gun-barrel steel

[JMB1943]

“In the face of certain statements about the “doubling up” of bayonets in the Soudan, the manufacture of these deadly weapons has acquired a special interest.  Like gun-barrels, they are now made of Perth steel, delivered in lengths of twelve feet, which are cut in pieces, each weighing 1 lb. 10 oz, and, when heated, drawn out to a point."

 

The statement shown above is taken from,

"Grant, James.  British Battles on Land and Sea.  Cassell and Company, Ltd.  London, Paris, New York & Melbourne, 1899.  Chapter XCV, page 610.

where Perth is the city in Western Australia.

Can anyone confirm this?

All of the references to bayonet-steel of this period that I have seen are of Sheffield steel made from top quality Swedish iron ore.

 

Regards,

JMB

[durhamdave]

is this a misprint  for Firth of  Sheffield 

 

reguards 

Dave

[JMB1943]

Dave,

 

You are a scholar & a gentleman!

 

Regards,

JMB

[Chasemuseum]

I tend to agree with Dave. Perth Western Australia, has never had a steel making industry, Australian steel making back in 1899 was very basic and concentrated in NSW. 

 

The original Perth is in Scotland. It is not a city or region that I have ever associated with any significant element of the UK steel industry of the c19 or c20.  That being said, it has  also been a practice to associate specific steel alloys with a trade name to promote a marketing image and commercial advantage. Accordingly there may have been a "Perth Steel" in the late c19 but I have never heard of this before.

 

The issue with swords and bayonets failing in the 1880s was presented at a lecture I attended as primarily due to the British Government buying blades from German makers in a time of emergency and accepting product that had been manufactured several years before, reground and rebuilt in an inappropriate manner. That to remove excessive scale and rust that case hardened surfaces were ground off and blades not correctly heat treated. Unfortunately I was a guest at that lecture and did not receive copies of the notes or references, so on this issue am only repeating what I was told by a "Sword and bayonet expert".

 

Cheers

Ross