Malcolm Prior visited the RSA Interpretation Centre during the London Open House Day on Saturday 20/08/2008 and talked to Ray Tuthill. He said he had three old bayonets and offered them for the heritage collection and display in the Centre if they could be identified and were appropriate. His description of them suggested they probably dated from the 19th / early 20th centuries.
He subsequently visited Ray on Wednesday 15 October 2008, donated the three bayonets and furnished the following limited information re their provenance.
Bayonet 1.21½" with a triangular blade on a circular stem, bent 90°, attaching it to a mounting tube which appears to fit over the barrel. Retention is by "bayonet" slots in the tube. It has suffered significant rusting and pitting but is substantially intact.
It carries three visible markings:
- Across the blade, about 3/8" from the rear, and top to the rear, probably "IJ" in 1/8" serif characters. The first character is affected by pitting and is unclear but is probably "I". The "J" is clear.
- Along the blade, 1¼" from the rear, "32" and below it, approximately at 90°, a smaller "P". All are serif characters; 3/16" for the "32" and 1/8" for the "P".
- Across the blade, 2½" from the rear and bottom to the rear, a small crown and below it "40", both in 1/8" characters.
The mounting tube is 4" long with a ¼" wide rim at the rear. Looking from the rear, there is a semi-circular notch in the rim on the right hand side and the upper left quadrant of the rim is cut away. The bore is tapered, 1" dia. at the rear and c.29/32" at the front.
In 1961, Malcolm was working for a Ford main dealer and was sent out to recover a wrecked lorry which had gone off the road and through a hedge near Bayford, Herts. When they pulled it out of the hedge a large amount of hedge came with it and revealed the bayonet embedded in the roots of a tree in the hedgerow!
Bayonet 2.The second bayonet is generally similar to the first but the mounting tube is shorter at 3" long. It is similarly rimmed, though a shade wider, and has a similar notch but does not have the quadrant cut away. The bore is 15/16" dia. at the rear and c.7/8" at the front.
It is rusty and pitted but substantially intact. Some of the rust has been cleaned off the top of the blade. The only discernable marking is a small "G" c.3/32" high and about 1½" from the rear of the blade.
It was given to Malcolm by an acquaintance and its origin is unknown.
Bayonet 3.c. 22" long overall with a 17" fullered blade. It is very seriously rusted and eaten away so no markings are visible but it could well be a 1907 Pattern for the SMLE. It appears not to have had the hooked quillion, which suggests it is post 1913.
Malcolm found it buried in the foundations of an old garage at his house at 57 Swan Way (off Green Street) Enfield. The house was built in 1935/6 and the garage was thought to have been added just before or early in World War 2. The original occupant of the house was known to have fought in WW1.
Any help with information regarding this item would be gratefully received
Ray Tuthill. 16/10/2008