Bayonet

[enuf]

I am not a military gun guy nor am I a military knife / bayonet guy. Bought this at a fund raiser and wondering what I bought and if anyone wants to give me an idea of a value, I'd be interested if I was a good donor.

[zzyzzogeton]

It looks like a British M1907 Lee-Enfield bayonet that has been relegated to training purposes.

The "DP" stamps/markings indicated that it is to be used only for "Drill Purposes".

The 19 on the pommel is it's "rack number" for inventory purposes.

A bayonet would be declared DP if the tip broke and is was no longer regulation length or damaged in some other manner that did not preclude use as a training bayonet. A full length 1907 has a 17 inch blade, so an 11 inch blade indicates why it became DP.

With no scabbard and shortened, if you paid over $100 you paid too much, although a collector of such shortened bayonets MIGHT pay more. Lack of a "modified to fit scabbard" would be the big detractor.

[Lars0729]

Well I'll take a stab at it for ya - pun intended. But it looks like ZZ beat me to it.

I'll confirm ZZ's findings... it appears to be a modified P1907, or P 07, Second Pattern. These were produced up through the end of WWII in England, India, Austrailia, and Canada.

About the only thing I would say differently than ZZ is while this piece may not be a rare find, it is certainly not common either. I'm also a firm believer that every bayonet is worth collecting, and if you bought it at a fund raiser - then it is worth every cent you spent. Otherwise, I think ZZ is on point with his valuing.

From my perspective, nice find, and thanks for supporting whatever cause you bought this for.

[enuf]

Thanks ZZ - very good information. It is a little hard to see but that is a 419 on the pommel, but I assume that is the same thing, just a different hook it hung on. From the tip of the blade to the middle of the guard is 12-inches. If 100$ is ok, then I did ok for myself and the fund raiser.

[enuf]

I did do a little sniffing on the net but everything I could find was a fullered blade ((I think that is the correct term) a groove running lengthways on the blade)- I was wondering why this one was not, but if it was indeed a trainer, that may answer that too.

[cottage hill bill]

It is not a British P1907 that has been cut down. It is an Indian made No. 1 Mk II*. Probably made during WWII for the No.1 MkIII or MkIII* rifle. The Indians switched from the 17" P1907 to locally produced 12" bayonets at the beginning of WWII. First some P1907s both British made and Indian made were cut down. Cut down P1907s are identifiable because the fuller goes through the tip. Then local production of 12" blades. There were several makers.

Usually there is a maker's stamp and date on one side of the ricasso. This blade has been scrubbed of markings during an arsenal overhaul and downgraded to Drill Purpose status. DP weapons were just that, pieces used for training. The piece is in nice shape, probably being little used after the rework. The DP stamp may detract from the value for some collectors.

[enuf]

Thanks for the update Bill, that is all good information to know.

[enuf]

Question - what is the difference between the MkIII and the MkIII* rifle

[cottage hill bill]

There were small changes to make war-time manufacture quicker and easier. After the war some of the changes were reversed and it is possible to find MkIII*s that have the * struck out and have been changed to MkIII specs. This is part of the List of Changes (LOC) entry. The LOC was the official catalog of any changes in specification to military items. It covered anything from weapons to clothing that had a standard pattern. The pattern being the specs a contractor or arsenal would use to make an item for the military.

Mk3toStardifferences-1.jpg (51.67 KiB) Viewed 347 times

[enuf]

Thanks for the response, I think I will still need to dig in a little deeper to grasp all of that.