POST WAR KNIVES:
Cutlery Handles:
The use of silverware style cutlery handles is typically ascribed to knives either early post-war, or pre-war hunting knives, take your pick. This genre is not usually considered to be a war-time derivation. We have a couple in our collection and they both came with this commercial style of sheath or the very late, poorly made, style military sheath. Although they could serve as a fighting knife, the balance is quite poor and the blades are always the thinner P-3 syle.

Pakistani P-3:
At some point in the 1960s Pakistani craftsmen built F~S knives that were probably of equal quality to some of the cheaper contemporary British knives. I picked up two of these knives over the years. They were reportedly made  during the Vietnam War era and were available commercially.

These Pakistani models are very similar to a British P-3,  although the rings tend to be a bit narrower. The handles on the two I have are nicely lathe-turned, one from aluminum the other from brass. The guards are the same thickness and shape as a British war-time knife. The seven inch blades are ground with accurate and symmetrical bevels and the whole lot is held together with a semi-traditional top nut. The image here shows one of the knives from our collection transposed on a page of Michael Silvey’s superb book entitled "Knives of the United States Military-World War II.

Unknown P-1:
I have no  information about the following knife. It is a very well built P-1, presumably post-war, and perhaps a product of H.G. Long. I am basing that guess on the logo and general proportions.

The logo is a little clumsy and too deeply etched, which is often the case with post-war knives and those made in third world countries. The high quality of this specimen makes me attribute it to England.

Indian P-3:
The following knife is typical of a post-war F~S copy made in India back in the 1950s or 60s. The quality is very poor with a soft, untempered blade with a good deal of rust staining. The rust came from the equally poor quality sheath and improper tanning of the leather. I bought this knife primarily for an example of what was being produced in 3rd world nations to capitalize on the popularity of the Commando Knife.

This close-up shows the details of the very thin guard, lathe turned brass handle and the unusual top nut. You can gauge how thin the tang is by how small the top nut is!

Unknown Manufacturer:
This is a close-up of the knife in the opposite column. Note that the pommel is the same shape as a P-2 but the handle is otherwise much like a P-3.

Mass Produced Copies:
J. Nowill & Sons, H.G. Long,  Windlass Steelcraft, etc:
One of the few current manufacturers that offers a high quality F~S knife is J. Nowill and Sons. A search of the internet, ebay, or Amazon will net you a Nowill P-3 style knife for anywhere from $90 to $170 so it
definitely pays to shop around. I would rate the Wm. Rodgers F~S knives almost the same quality as the Nowill knives. A few years ago H.G. Long produced very high quality P-1s and P-2s and marketed them through various cutlery shops. Their knives are definitely worth buying should you find one. And of course there are the Wilkinson reproductions that are of very high quality although they are often not intended for combat use, being mostly issued as gilded commemoratives. 

Illustrated below is a very neat, well made,   J. Nowill & Sons commando knife. The sheath is another story.

Unknown Manufacturer:
Illustrated below is a nice little post-war, German made, F~S knife. It is about a 7/8ths in size. The handle and guard are cast as one piece, in place. It does not have a top nut holding it together. It is a fairly well made knife typical of countless reproductions made by Germany or Japan in the 60s. My notes indicate I paid $15 for this knife and sheath, giving you an idea of how un-collectible they are. Many similar knives are available today, but of poorer quality, from China, Pakistan, Taiwan, etc.

The book is actually more valuable than the knife!

Illustrated above (and below) are three fairly common third pattern knives manufactured today. They are, from bottom to top: Windlass Steel, J. Nowill & Sons, and Linder. Of the three the Windlass Steel best replicates the WW-II knives, with the exception of its goofy top nut.

Left to Right: Windlass Steel, J. Nowill & Sons, and Linder knives
BELOW: WKC, Weyersberg, Kirschbaum, & Cie. knives

About equal in quality to the late production Wilkinsons, these knives were delivered completely unsharpened (to meet export compliance?). The nickle plated one even came with a bit of a rust spot on the blade  and the blued blade had some scuffing as well. Perhaps they were shopworn or display versions? While they make a nice addition to the collection I would probably buy one from Windlass (at 1/2 the price) and not worry about scratching up the blade by using it and at least it came somewhat sharp. Second choice woulld be difficult, picking either the Linder or the Nowill.

A. Wright P-2:
This is obviously a post war knife and the only one of its kiind I have come across. It is quite well made. The turned and knurled brass handle is smaller in diameter that a standard P-2 and lacks the bowling pin shape. The crosgsuard is stamped, A. Wright  Sheffield England." The blade has a faint "SAS" markhing and is nicely formed and polished.

The sheath this knife came in is without its frog but appears to be of wartime, or early manufacture. The previous owner added a thong to tie in the knife although how he actually carried it is not known.

Rather than infringe on Mr. Cassidy’s copyrighted story I will provide you with a link so that you may read his interesting story in full. Mr. Cassidy’s knife is a sweet amalgamation of several designs which results in a very unique but functional and highly attractive knife. For example: it’s handle is reminiscent of the OSS Stiletto, having the same coarse knurling which runs all the way to the guard. The guard itself is nickel plated and “S” curved, very much like those on a P-1.  The blade is comparable to a thin bladed P-2 or P-3 and delivered sharp. Unlike the late war P-3s the blade is well finished with a near-mirror polish. The blades were then etched with Wm. Fairbairn’s signature also exhibit the traditional F~S logo near the guard. In profile, the blades resemble the OSS stiletto. 

In the years since, I have picked up a couple more, these being the sterile ones which sold for eighty dollars. You can rest assured that I did not buy them for that price at the later date. The knives came equipped with a commercial style sheath which was well made of fine leather. Should you  have the fortune to come across one it is a viable fighting knife with a nice story to tell, and I recommend you buy it. My personal thanks to Mr. Cassidy and the British workmen who were for a short period of time, The Castle Knife Co. for producing these fine knives. 
http://fl-websites.com/time/fs/castleco.htm

One of the finest Post-war knives is the French version issued to French  Paratroopers and members of the Foreign Legion. It has an alloy handle very similar to a third pattern. The stainless steel blade is broader and well finished. The "Inox" stands for inoxidizable, stainless. The high quality sheath is very unique in that it has a belt-boot clip on the back. This knife was still being produced recently and the one in the photo served in Vietnam, carried by a French soldier.

Fake FR 693 ?:
Illustrated below are photos of the FR693 knife that is reputedly a counterfeit copy of the English made ones. It would appear they are made in India or that region of the world. Note the lackluster blade, broad and flat in cross-section. The handles are well made, the sheaths are made of very thick leather.

Here is a close-up of the same knife (bottom) beside a standard B-2 knife.

The following knife is unlike any other I have seen. It is of acceptable quality with an alloy handle either cast onto the tang, or perhaps driven on. There is no top nut, it is part of the casting. The guard and blade are standard late P-3 style and the blade gives indications of having been blackened at one time. It is in this section because it has the appearance of being a post-war knife although I cannot confirm that. Some indications are that it might have been produced by a company named Crown Sword. Note the price of $1 on the vintage copy of "Get Tough."

Below: Close-up of the Nowill and Sons guard stamping. Their handles have a raised "crossed keys and asterick" logo. The fit and finish of the Nowill knives is quite good and the blades are nicely polished and blued.

Below is a photo showing the awful fit of the Nowill sheath which allows the blade to slop around from side to side. I am going to remedy this by gluing in a partial liner but Nowill ought to make better sheaths.

Below: The next knife is produced by Linder, and while well made is less polished than the Nowill and its blade is even thinner, it is still a credible fighting knife. The Linder knife has a very small ricasso which is unusual among third pattern knives. During my penetration tests the Linder finished in second place which is quite impressive. Of course this was party due to the thinness of the blade. I will post better photos later.

Note in the close-up below the small ricasso on the Linder blade and the somewhat poor fit between the blade and guard.

The following pair of knives are from Germany from a manufacturer named WKC, Weyersberg, Kirschbaum, & Cie. They have "S" guards similar to the First Pattern style knives.

In the photo below you can see the makers tag. The knives did not come with sheaths and they were available either chrome plated or gold plated as shown.

BELOW: The A. Wright second pattern "SAS" knife