Lord Lovat's Knives?
This first example came from, where else but, Canada. It is a diminutive knife of which Ron Flook says (in his terrific book, "British and Commonwealth Military Knives") that he knows of only five in existence. Legend has it that Lord Lovat, commanding officer of No. 4 Commando, ordered a batch of these to give to his officers as Christmas gifts. Some say a dozen or less were hand crafted at Wilkinson Sword Co. As an ammendment, Ron Flook kindly took the time to let me know that mine is one of the five he mentions in his book, and that there was no evidence of Lord Lovat's involvement. There you are, legends are just that, until proven true or otherwise.

The handle is lathe turned from aluminum. The crossguard is also aluminum and both are blackened. Deadly, needle-tipped, the blade is aproximtely six inches long. This dagger came with its original brown leather sheath, metal tipped and with the straps set-up for wearing on your sleeve or leg. It is an exquisite little poignard.

Lord Lovat is shown at the right side of this photo.

Octagonal Alloy Hilt:
I have no idea who made this unique knife. It came from England and author Wm. Windrum said he only knew of three examples. One is in Robt. Buerlin's book, one in Windrum's own book, and one that his friend in England owned. Is this the knife that his friend owned? I have no idea but it is the only one I have ever seen offered for sale in over 40 years of collecting. The blade is the common thin blade typical of late wartime or early post-war production. The guard is also of that time farme being thicker than the knives made in the 50s and 60s. The water damaged sheath does not appear to be correct for the knife although it does fit and came with it.

Spike Bayonet Blade:
Whether this is a one-off or even WW-II vintage (or not) is hard to tell. The blade is taken from a British MK-II bayonet blade. The knife has a diamond shaped steel cross guard. The handle is expertly lathe-turned of solid brass in a (non-ringed) Third Pattern shape. It is all held together by an acorn top nut. The entire unit is proffesionally made and it makes for a very interesting variation. Quite often weapons like this are referred to as "Theater Made" or sometimes "Home Guard" knives. Its only function (like the bayonet from which it was made) is to punch holes in an enemy as it will not cut at all.

Possibly the rarest F~S style dagger is yet to come. When I finally have proof, it will be posted here. So every once in a while check this page. I am still doing the research.

Swordsmith Tom Beasley:
 In the meantime I will start a write up for this rare Tom Beasley knife. I thank my good friend Roy Shadbolt for offering me this knife. Production numbers for knives by the "Famous Swordsmith" are said to be in the range of 500 or so. The majority of them were fitted with ivorine handles rather than this P-2 style handle. The story has it that Beasley probably did not make any of them but instead oversaw their production.

Here is a photo of Tom Beasely (right) advising/consulting with another smith at the forge. The credits for the photo are quite obviously, Life Magazine, circa 1950s.

Close ups of the blade etchings below.

"Commando Fighting Knife World War 1939-1945"

"Hand Forged by Tom Beasley The Famous Swordsmith"

Three Inch Guard First  Pattern:
Supposedly the First Pattern knives with three-inch guards were the first ones produced, numbering fifty or less. That story is now discredited by many collectors. I do have a story that goes with this knife though. You can find a photo of this same knife on page 99 of Homer Brett's missive "The Military Knife and Bayonet". I bought the knife from Homer on the installment plan. Despite the exhorbitant price there is a possibility that it has been altered. The story is still worth the telling though.

Years ago I met another seller of F~S knives at a gun show in Pennsylvania. I mentioned I had a 3" guard P-1 and he asked me if the sheath had a big dent in the chape. I confirmed that it did. He told me that he bought the knife from the original owner and later sold it to Mr. Brett. He recounted that the original owner was a Sergeant John Foulis who served in North Africa in the 42nd Black Watch regiment. Foulis was living in a retirement home in Florida at the time of his purchasing it.

What I neglected to ask the dealer was if it had a 3" guard when he bought it. The knife has a very "daggered" blade, like many of the earlier knives, but the tang has not been properly peened over to secure the top nut. Therefore there is a possiblity that it has been altered from a 2" to a 3" guard. I personally do not think it has been messed with. Mr. Brett is an expert and very knowledgeable in edged weapons. He is also a reputable dealer, which only leaves the other dealer I met in PA. He would have no reason to give me the history of the knife if he had anything to hide. So there you are, the perils of buying an expensive knife without first person accountability.

A close-up of the three inch guard and the nearly indistinguishable Wilkinson Sword Logo. Shallow etching like this is fairly common. Deep etching sometimes is an indicator of a counterfeit knife but remember these were all handmade and hand etched.

One Piece All Steel Knife:
I owe my friend, and fellow collector, Roy Shadbolt a debt of gratitude for identifying this rare knife. The entire knife was cast in one piece and machined to finished shape by MacLeod Metallurgy of Quebec, Canada. According to Roy these pieces were given as Christmas gifts in 1943 to showcase  MacLeod's expertise at metal working. He says they were not intended to be used as knives but mine was clearly sharpened and fitted into a F~S sheath.

As you can see, this handle is shaped like a P-2 but is uncheckered and the guard and blade are all cast as one piece. There are grinding or sanding marks encircling the handle from the shaping process.

The smooth handled Polish F~S are some of the most rare. No one has offered a rationale for the smooth grip. The one I have came in the leather lined, canvas web sheath with the Polich emblem attached. It is in excellent shape and stamped with something resembling a broad arrow, but not quite, and the numeral "4".

Close-up of the completely smooth handle and thrid pattern weight blade.

Close-up of the Polish emblem on the sheath