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.

Longest SALE Ever! Buy something!
CLICK THE BUTTON AND GO TO MY KNIFE SALE PAGE. I am cleaning out my bedroom closet and finding some knives to sell. These are often knives I bought to illustrate a knife-fighting book that I have not published and therefore they are unused in many cases.
The Sleeve dagger that was here is still for sale. I moved it to the page with Fairbairn knives for sale.
Hard to part with this one!! I have obtained a second Crossada spearpoint, so this one is up for sale. It is one of Bob Dozier's and made from A-2 steel. It comes with a soft zipper case, kydex sheath, and the matching training blade. The brass crossguard pieces are also included. It retains its factory edge and is in mint condition. These are perhaps one of the most thoughtfully designed fighting knives ever produced. Blade catcher crossguard and Spanish notch make this a true dueling Bowie. Buy it before I change my mind! The price for this legendary blade, price shipped CONUS is $1,750.00 OBO
Two New Parkinson F-S Daggers left for Sale! Check them out on the Fairbairn Sykes Sale page.
.Just click the button to go to my Blog.

Still some very nice knives for sale. Click on the button to go to the Fairbairn Sykes sales page.
Put your tax refund to a good use, buy a knife. CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO GO TO MY KNIFE SALES
I am still looking for this fire damaged dagger which once belonged to William Jelinick and Bill Windrum. (I am interested in buying it and other quality Metford bayonet conversions to fighting knives) Please email me through the contact page if you have this one or others to sell.

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.

You will find this is a "visitor friendly" site! I am NOT going to ridicule you for not knowing something about F-S fighting knives (or any other type of knife). After all that's why I'm here, to share my knowledge with you, and to listen to what you have to offer in return. I'm here to share photos and stories and grow together. You will not find me trashing you on some other website or forum, or using your photos or text without your knowledge or your permission. Seems to me like the way all people and forums ought to treat each other. Thanks for stopping by!

I am constantly amazed by the numbers of people who visit here and take the time to contact me about a knife or knives they own. Thank you one and all!

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 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 collection.
SO WHATS NEW?
As I add new photos, information, or acquire new knives I'll tell you about it right here first.
below: A modified Steel hilt French F-S. There are long flats filed on both sides of the handle. Presumably this was so the owner could orient the blade edge in the dark or to prevent the knife from rolling in one's hand. A bit of the blade is missing but it has been nicely re-tipped. One branch of the guard was bent at quite an angle so I straightened it as best I could. It is not a "safe-queen" but it was worth what I paid for it. There is no "England" stamp so it was brought back privately after the war. Now to find a proper sheath for it.
Below: Three totally unique thumb daggers I bought from a friend. The left one he attributes to India. The other two are clearly stamped Wm.R for William Rodgers. The center one is tiny but a real sweetheart. I'll post a story about them later. In my experience, the single edged type, on the right, are very uncommon.
My friend on the west coast donated another rare knife to my collection, bottom of the photo. It has a deeply blued triangular blade. The handle is formed from leather washers and mirrors that of the Faircane at the top. These knives are strictly stabbers with no sharp edges. It came in a modified F-S sheath.
Pneumo Spike: I learned about these little stabbers in "Recoil" magazine. The trick was buying one before they sold out. I finally managed to snag one on my third try. To say they are popular would be a huge under-statement! It is tiny but ranks right up there with a lot of the OSS and SOE weapons for lethality. It came in a nicely made kydex sheath for a reasonable price. Check them out at www.halffaceblades.com  Contact them for updates on the next shipment, But move fast if you want one. Photo courtesy of Half Face Blades.
The seller thought this was O.S.S. WW-II but I recognized the dagger as more Vietnam era. Sure enough some research led me to Pat and Wes Crawford's website and after an email or two we nailed down that it was one of a kind, made a long time ago by Wes. It is the only one with that broad tip. A neat piece of cutlery history. Thanks Wes for your help identifying it.
White Shadow & Associates Personal Protection
The website for my daughter and son in law's executive protection business is operational now. I hope you will check it out. It has a whole new look. If you need First Class Security, not Mall "rent-a-cops."  For a facilities or domicile security assessment, close personal protection, long or short term contract, or for a resume contact them at. http://www.whiteshadowassociates.com/

If you are in need of one-on-one personal security, or a team of security specialists, contact them for a consultation. Locally or globally they will take good care of keeping you and your assets safe. Are they capable? They have served clients whose net worth is in the $ Billions of dollars, YES BILLIONS with a "B". 
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. Wow you folks are great. We are NOW OVER 37,000 visits SINCE INSTALLING THE NEW COUNTER!