The 1908 Pattern Cavalry Trooper's Sword (and the 1912 Pattern, the equivalent for officers) was the last service sword issued to the cavalry of the British Army. It is widely considered ^{[1] [2]} the most effective cavalry sword ever designed, although ironically its introduction occurred as swords finally became obsolete as military weapons. 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Kircholm, a 1925 painting by Wojciech Kossak. ... Trooper can refer to: Canadian rock band Trooper the rank of Trooper in Canadian and British army groups. ... Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century Sword (from Old English sweord, cognate to Old High German Schwert, literally wounding tool from a Proto-Indo-European root *swer- to wound, to hurt) is a term for a long edged weapon, fundamentally consisting of a blade, usually with two edges for striking... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Militaries are composed of two main types of personnel: enlisted men and women and officers. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

In military circles there had long been the debate as to whether the use of the point or the edge was the better method of attack for a cavalryman. With the introduction of the 1821 patterns, the British Army adopted a series of “cut and thrust” swords with slight curved blades which were theoretically stiff enough for a thrust. The 1821 swords and their descendents were inevitably compromises and not ideal for either cutting or thrusting, but the Army considered the adaptability to be of more importance.

Design of The 1908 Pattern

With the introduction of the 1908 sword, however, the era of the compromise design was over. The 1908 sword was purely optimized for thrusting. The skewer-like blade has a thick "T" section, much narrower but thicker than a traditional blade design making it far stiffer in the “weak” axis for a given weight so as to resist buckling in the thrust. The blade ends in a sharp "spear" point. The large, sheet steel bowl guard gave considerable protection to the hand. The rounded rectangular section chequered grip is of a semi-pistol configuration. Although not as extreme as modern fencing pistol or orthopedic grips, this design causes the blade to naturally align with the arm when the arm is extended, in position for a charge using the point. A thumb stop is indented on top of the grip, just behind the guard. The long pommel helps to keep the point of balance of the sword close to the guard, balancing the sword for its length. In engineering, buckling is a failure mode of a structural member characterised by a failure to react to the bending moment generated by a compressive load. ... Hunting spear and knife, from Mesa Verde National Park. ... The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... A Browning 9 millimeter semiautomatic pistol Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century A pistol or handgun is a usually small firearm that can be used with one hand. ... Russian Ivan Tourchine and American Weston Kelsey fence in the second round of the Olympic Mens Individual Épée event at the Helliniko Fencing Hall on Aug. ...

The original official specification called, once again, for a “cut and thrust” blade and the final 18” (457mm) of the blade were theoretically to be sharpened, but little more than lip service was paid to cutting ability. The straight blade prevented the slicing action of a curved sabre and the concussive force would be compromised by the hilt biased balance. Further the narrow blade would be weak in the cutting axis and the pistol grip, ideal for thrusting, is awkward for the cut.

The length of the blade at just over 35” (890mm) was said to be able to match the reach of the lance (still in use with some armies at the turn of the 20th Century) or the bayonet with the swordarm full extended. The term lance has become a catchall for a variety of different pole weapons based on the spear. ... The US Marine Corps OKC-3S bayonet A bayonet (from French baïonnette) is a knife- or dagger-shaped weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle of a rifle or similar weapon. ...

King Edward VII described the sword as "hideous" when the pattern was submitted to him for formal approval, and had to be persuaded of its utility before eventually conceding the point. Edward VII King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Emperor of India His Majesty King Edward VII (Albert Edward) (9 November 1841–6 May 1910) was the first British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ...

1912 Pattern Cavalry Officers Sword

The 1912 Pattern Officers Sword

Whereas swords for Troopers and NCO's were issued by the Army, officer's swords were privately purchased by the officers themselves. Until 1912, officers continued to carry their pierced honeysuckle hilted or three bar hilted cut-and-thrust swords. Image File history File links 1912_Sword_1. ... Image File history File links 1912_Sword_1. ... NCO may mean: a numerically-controlled oscillator in electronics a non-commissioned officer in the military   This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

In 1912 however, an officer's pattern was introduced which mirrored that carried by the men. The 1912 pattern Cavalry officer's sword is of the same basic form as the 1908 trooper's weapon, but in a more decorative form. The blade, plain for troopers, was usually engraved or etched (although during WW1 expediency sometimes led to plain blades being fitted to officer's swords). The grip is of the same form, but the chequered rubber or bakelite grip is replaced by grey ribbed fish skin, bound with German Silver wire. The pommel, plain on the trooper's blade is chequered and decorative. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky emulsion (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants though can be produced synthetically. ... Bakelite is a brand named material based on the thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, developed in 1907-1909 by Dr. Leo Baekeland. ...

On the front of the bowl guard, the 1912 sword has an engraved floral pattern, mimicking the “honeysuckle” pattern which had been common on officer's swords throughout the 19th Century. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Variants

The Army of India variant of the 1908 sword featured a smaller grip to match the generally smaller troopers on the sub-continent. Army of India consisted of both the Indian Army and the British Army in India between 1903 and 1947. ...

Officer's swords, as private purchases sometimes showed some variation from the standard pattern. Occasionally whole regiments would have their own variation on the theme. In particular, the always painfully fashion conscious 10th Hussars had its officers carrying a bizarre weapon combining the pistol grip and blade of the 1912 pattern with a 3 bar hilt from their earlier, 1821 Pattern Light Cavalry sword to give a unique but decidedly odd effect. A regiment is a military unit, larger than a company and smaller than a division. ... The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Waless Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1715 to 1969. ...

Criticism

Although the 1908 and 1912 patterns can be seen as the almost last expression of the thrusting cavalry sword (the American army adopted its similar Patton sabre in 1913), a century after the sword's effective obsolescence for military purposes, the debate over the relative virtues of the edge and the point remain. John Gaspard le Marchant, the great trainer and leader of cavalry at the turn of the 19th Century felt that the weapon employed in the charge was almost irrelevant as the shock value stemmed from the momentum of the combined horse and rider. The sword came into its own during the “desultory” encounters after the charge, for which a slashing sword was best suited. The British Cavalry’s last pure cutting sword, the spectacularly curved 1796 Pattern Light Cavalry Sword was a design of Le Marchants’s Patton can refer to: Names George S. Patton, a US general. ... John Gaspard le Marchant (1766 – 1812), English major-general, was the son of an officer of dragoons, John Le Marchant, a member of an old Guernsey family. ...

The most compelling criticism of use of the point in cavalry combat, however, lies in the possibility of it becoming the victim of its own success. With the force of a fast moving horse and rider behind it, a well aimed sword would certainly achieve considerable penetration, even up to the hilt. As the horse passed the unfortunate recipient of the thrust, the sword would be very difficult to drag clear of the body. This could leave the rider at best disarmed or at worse unhorsed or with a broken wrist.

The Patton Sabre

The US Army Model 1913 sabre had a large, basket-shaped hilt mounting a straight, double-edged, thrusting blade designed for use by heavy cavalry. Generally known as the “Patton” sabre, after its designer Lieutenant (later General) George S. Patton, it was heavily influenced by the British 1908 and 1912 Patterns. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... A Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary or police officer. ... A General is an officer of high military rank. ... George Smith Patton, Jr. ...

References

1. ^ Robson, Brian: Swords of the British Army, The Regulation Patterns 1788 to 1914, Revised Edition 1996, National Army Museum ISBN 0-091721-33-6
2. ^ Wilkinson Latham, John: British Military Swords from 1800 to the Present Day, 1966, Hutchinson & Co. Ltd, ISBN 0-09-081201-8