Welcome!
This site is dedicated primarily to exploring the history of the iconic Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife (commonly known as the British Commando knife), the many variants of that weapon, and the brave men and women who trained with it, carried it, and whose valor made it famous.
Notice to all you web gurus: If you really have looked at my site, read this and bugger Off! I do not want help with my website and getting 3-4 emails a day from unsolicited web builders is not going to change my mind. Got It?
2023 SALE: Please check to see what is new! : ) This custom Bradburn Tanto is for sale on the fighting knives for sale page. For an extra $10.00 I will include a zipper pouch for any knife purchased. If you are seriously interested in original WW-2 thumb daggers let me know. I am not selling any but my friend is.
Ben Carroll of Canada if you see this please contact me!
If you are interested, I will sell my HN9 HavocWorks stiletto (as new) shown below for $250 shipped CONUS. This avoids the long wait of ordering one. It is a genuine Havoc Works knife not a clone or knock-off.
NOTICE!!! I am now taking emails and requests for a second printing of my 1st book and my upcoming 2nd book. If you want to get on the list please send me your email and whether you live in the US or outside. Orders to overseas addresses are sometimes held up for weeks and I cannot be responsible for the book after it leaves the shores of the US. Sales have been very steady including copies sent to England, Scotland, Belgium, Wales, France, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Thanks to all of you for supporting our work. email me at ghdave2@hotmail.com to get on the list for the second printing.
Clandestine Knife BOOK REVIEWS!
Hi Dave
The book arrived today, have just started looking through it. The pictures are a fabulous resource in their own right. P.M.
The book arrived today, have just started looking through it. The pictures are a fabulous resource in their own right. P.M.
I received David Decker’s Clandestine Knives of World War II today and took the afternoon to read it. It was well worth the time. As David notes in the book there is very little information about the various OSS, SOE, Commando, SAS, LRDG, et. al. escape and close combat knives, and much of what there is, is contradictory. David does a good job of discussing the myth versus the reality and illustrating the vast array of knives that fall into that category. Because of the wide array of these types of knives it would be difficult to ever assemble a definitive book on them; however, David has come as close as I can imagine anyone coming. The information is fascinating, the photos are excellent, and writing is gripping. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in World War clandestine weapons. Leroy Thompson
Hi David,
Received your book this evening. Can’t thank you enough. Especially the dedication. Made my day! It’s so well done. Pics are wonderful ; layout is self explanatory. Your Daughter did a really good job. I had no idea you were so far along. with the Covert thing, etc. Hope you have great sales. I think your follow up books look like best sellers too. Every knife collector will need a copy. KF
Received your book this evening. Can’t thank you enough. Especially the dedication. Made my day! It’s so well done. Pics are wonderful ; layout is self explanatory. Your Daughter did a really good job. I had no idea you were so far along. with the Covert thing, etc. Hope you have great sales. I think your follow up books look like best sellers too. Every knife collector will need a copy. KF
Dave
I was expecting pretty pictures with some concise descriptions. What I got were spectacular pictures, extensive descriptive text. contextual history, and information about the users. M.W.
I was expecting pretty pictures with some concise descriptions. What I got were spectacular pictures, extensive descriptive text. contextual history, and information about the users. M.W.
Another very talented maker from the Netherlands has come to my attention. His First Pattern Knives are world quality as I am sure are his other knives. Made almost entirel by hand with the exceptionof a lathe for making the handles. Harry Huyssen also makes his own sheaths and does the nickle plating.
Harry also made this terrific mini version.
Ben Carroll if you see this please email me. I have been trying to contact you.
CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO GO TO MY KNIFE SALES. NOTE: It is increasingly difficult to ship double edged knives to many foreign countries. Check your laws before you ask about buying one to prevent unhappy situations. My Post Office is very strict about respecting the weapons laws of other countries and I will not lie about the contents.
.Just click the button to go to my Blog.
My Philosophy: I realize that despite my best efforts I may not get everything right here the first time. That is why there is a contact page for your input and questions. My website is a continual work in progress, a journey in search of truth through the dim pages of a World War long past and fading history.
NEW HDG IMAGES!
Below: A couple more photos of an HDG First Pattern knife. With prices of original First Pattern knives ranging from $2,500 to $6,000 they are out of the reach of the everyday collector. This is presuming you can even find one for sale. The line of customers waiting for originals is extremely long. If you want to experience the heft and mytery of holding and owning a P-1 (and are not endowed with a fortune) consider a recreation of one from a short list of two or three makers. In all honesty I have not seen any that exceed the quality of this one.
Note: I have frequent requests from visitors to give an appraisal of the value of their Commando knives. I do appreciate the interest and questions but I can only give you approximate values because there are so many variables, such as condition, model, maker, etc. So please feel free to ask me but I apologize in advance for not being able to give you exact values. Also, you may see knives like yours on an online auction site listed at much higher values than I quote. The question you must ask yourself is, are they selling them for those inflated prices? Many of these same knives have been on auction for several months or years with out selling. How do I know? Because I track them almost daily looking for knives to buy. If they weren't so overpriced I would have already bought them.
Yes I am always interested in buying and adding new knives to our collection, so you are welcome to contact me using the form on the bottom of the "contact us" page for that purpose or to just say hello. I will do my best to make you a fair offer although sometimes you must understand my cash flow is limited. I am also open to trading a modern fighting knife for your F-S knife. I have some very exotic and classic fighting knives in my other collection. Before you ask, I generally do NOT trade or sell any of my F-S or miniature knives. 
Above: Not every discovery has to be a magnificent specimen for it to become part of a collection. I got this knife from ebay for $268 and with a little cleaning it will make a nice addition to the variants I own. Based on the blade, brass guard and the top nut I believe this was originally a wood handled knife. The wood is prone to shrinking and splitting near the guard. Or, maybe the owner just wanted something different. I don't know what the story behind it I am just saying you don't have to spend a million bucks to get started collecting. Sometimes the really unusual knives are the ones you can get the cheapest by looking around and taking a chance.
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SO WHATS NEW?
As I add new photos, information, or acquire new knives I'll tell you about it right here first. Below: My latest knife from Havoc works, the top knife. The top knife is Channing Watson's HN-12 beside its smaller sister the HN-9. You can read more about it in my last blog. They are both superb, but OMG the HN-12 is just awesome.
Nothing new to report. As the saloon owner says in the Outlaw Josey Wales. "First the whiskey ran out, then the beer ran out," and now my money has about run out!
Below: This is not a new, new knife. I have had it for over a year. But I wondered if anyone else has come across a similar, smooth gripped 3rd pattern. The blue paint is, I think, original to the knife. Note that the grip is full diameter not a turned down standard 3rd pattern knife. I have two other smooth gripped knives in this style. One is made from aluminum and the other is alloy but with a heavy black coating. So does anyone know who was making these smooth-gripped knives? The three will be illustrated in my third volume on F-S knives. The one I am working on right now.
Below: Here is one of my last purchases in 2022. Honestly I have been too busy working on the new book and mailing out the Clandestine Knives book to do much shopping for new knives. I had sold many of my theater knives but this one was too enticing. The handle is tight and has no wobble.The blade is a full 7 inches and looks like it is an F-S blade. Whomever did the conversion/build did a very nice job of it. The seller thought it was WW-II but the faded colors of the spacers in the handle make me wonder if it is vietnam era. The sheath that came with it is quite old and an inch too short for the blade.
Below: Steel hilted dagger of the F-S family but not a factory piece. I am not sure what to make of this piece. It is very well made but apparently not from a bayonet. If anyone has a clue as to the numbers let me know. The other side is stqamped WSC.
Below: Here is a strange version of what might qualify as an X-dagger. More about this knife on the page for X-Daggers. It is not the handsomest of the genre, but it is a serious fighting knife. It came in a very interesting and heavily worn sheath.
A new and beautiful recreation of an X-Dagger made by my friend Travis Evans in Australia. Yup I bought the set! Great work as usual from Travis. Travis borrowed the handle idea from an original third pattern I own with this type of cord wrapping. This dagger is made from a file not a bayonet. It is one sweet X-dagger and the thumb dagger is potentially lethal too.
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Push dagger by Travis Evan: travtek88@hotmail.com
From these raw materials came the above dagger. It takes great skill and an ability to conceptualize, creating form from formlessness to produce such work. Thanks Travis for the beautiful work.
Below: 1903 Bayonets modified for use as fighting knives in WW-II
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Paul MacDonald Shanghai Daggers. As close as you can get to an original, short of paying tens of thousands of dollars. Very Nice work Paul.
Below: I am always looking for bayonet conversions like these (or those on the left side of the page) to buy. I think these below were made by Phoenix Iron Works (PIW) during WW-II.
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WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO VIEW MY F-S WEBSITE?
DO NOT forget to click on the Main Headers i.e WW-II Commando knives, as well as the sub-headers i.e Second Pattern, and even more details under the individual categories i.e. Nickel plated, as these pop out to the right. Otherwise you will miss a lot of information and photos.
All images and written materials on this site are copyrighted as are the images in the banner at the top of the page which are courtesy of the Imperial War Museum. Materials on this website are (C) copyrighted 2013. As a courtesy, please contact us for permission to use them, as we have asked permission ourselves to use many of the photographs which are the personal property of the veterans or their heirs. Please do not ask, we do not provide exact measurements of the rarer original WW-II knives to prevent people making counterfeits of the models in our possession. That is why you do not find detailed descriptions with specific measurements.
Dear Visitors the old counter disappeared after recording over 140,000 visitors, and getting lots of great communications from all of you. We are starting out with a new counter on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23rd, 2017. We are NOW OVER 285,000 visits total! You folks are awesome!
