Strange British item of the battle of the Somme

[Maxence tryhoen]

[shippingsteel]

I know exactly what that item is after seeing an original example on show just yesterday.! It is the British pattern Wirebreaker which slid over the P1903 or P1907 bayonet to attach to the muzzle of the SMLE rifle. When the wire was appropriately placed in the groove it was then cut by the firing of a round/bullet.

See this thread below courtesy of forum member 5thBatt to see an example in the photo middle of the Chair.

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/309571-some-of-my-collection/

Cheers,  SS 

[shippingsteel]

Here is another link to further information on the Wirebreaker No.1

http://www.bayonetsplus.com/f_wire-breakers.html

Cheers,  SS 

[Maxence tryhoen]

Thank you so much for your answer 

[Pete_C]

This relic was a 1970’s pickup from Thiepval. In that pre-internet age it was many years before I discovered what it was. The example above is the third relic I’ve seen from the Somme battlefield, evidence that they were indeed a front line issue in that campaign, although I’ve yet to see one in a contemporary photograph.

Pete