British Indian Army 1898 Pattern Infantry Staff Sergeant’s Sword, Dated 1910 with Regimental Marking
Single-fullered straight blade with spear point, steel hilt with pierced decoration including crown and imperial cypher of King and Emperor Edward VII as used in India: ‘ERI’ (Edwardus Rex Imperator). Steel backstrap with chequered thumb rest and integral pommel, grey shagreen grip bound with wire. Brown leather washer topped with second steel washer. Brown leather field scabbard in the Indian style with steel throat and chape pieces, leather ridge near the throat for hanging from a belt or cummerbund in the manner of a tulwar. Blade just under 32½ inches in length (fractional tip wear), the sword 38 7/8 inches overall.
The blade is stamped at the ricasso on one side with a broad arrow over ‘I’ and ‘ISD’, indicating ownership by the Indian Stores Department. The other side of the blade is stamped with another broad arrow over ‘I’ and ‘04’.
The inside of the hilt is stamped near the edge with ‘F E’ over ‘7.10’. The format and placement suggests this is a unit mark and issue date, i.e. that the sword was issued in July 1910 to the unit abbreviated to ‘F.E.’ I do not know which unit this refers to within the Indian Army at the time, however. The metal washer is also similarly stamped on one side next to the base of the blade with ‘F.E.’ above ’10.10’, again suggesting an issue date of 1910. The washer is also stamped on the opposite side of the blade, this mark is faint and a double strike. I can make out the number ‘10’.
British Army sergeants continued to carry swords as a sign of rank even after they were withdrawn from the basic infantryman. Unlike officers, who purchased and owned their own swords, sergeants were issued their swords from regimental stores like a musket or bayonet, and the swords remained government property. Regiments only needed a small stock of sergeants’ swords and would only have disposed of them when obsolete or broken, so the sergeant’s models are rarer than the officer’s today.
The same dress and armoury standards prevailed in the Indian Army during the period of British rule: staff sergeants and senior NCOs like Company Havildar Majors (the Indian equivalent of Company Sergeant Majors) were authorized to carry Sergeant’s pattern swords. After India gained its independence, the Indian Army reduced sword carriage to officers only. Regarded by some as an unwanted colonial tradition, their carriage is today limited to designated parade leaders and contingent commanders during major national events.
A new design of infantry officer’s sword was finalised in 1897, and a near-identical version was introduced for sergeants in the same year, the 1897 Pattern. The blade of this version was criticised as being too light and not stiff enough, and was quickly replaced by this, the 1898 Pattern, a slightly beefier version.
The blade has a few small patches of light patination, a couple of small patches of cleaned pitting at its edges in the fullered section, and old polishing marks. Its tip has been sharpened with some visible grinding marks on the edges and a couple of small nicks to the true edge. The point is slightly worn, only by about 1mm, and is very fractionally bent to one side distally. The outside of the guard has some light patination, spots of light cleaned pitting and some polishing marks. The inside of the guard has spotted moderate patination and moderate cleaned pitting. The wire binding of the grip is all present and tight, the shagreen of the grip has light handling wear and some scale loss at its edges next to the backstrap and ferrule. The sword Is solidly peened with no movement to any parts, the blade rings when struck. The leather of the scabbard has some surface denting, flaking and abrasion, a couple of lost patches near the throat piece on the seam side exposing the wood core and the ring of leather inserted under the surface to form the hanging ridge.
