family legends

[Berryb]

A friend showed me these today. One came from his grandfather, a WW1 vet, the other from his uncle a US Navy WW2 vet. The family story about the bayonet is his grampa used it in the trenches and skewered lotsa germans with it. I told him that I was pretty sure it was British issue and to me lloked older than WW1, but you guys were geniuses and would know all about it, so I would check.
The Pal knife has his uncle's name and the name of the carrier he was on scratched onto the sheath. He may have had it during the war but I'm not so sure it was Navy issue. What do you guys think? Thanks
Bruce

[bestgear]

The Pal knife has his uncle's name and the name of the carrier he was on scratched onto the sheath. He may have had it during the war but I'm not so sure it was Navy issue

Bruce, I’m not the info-guy you are seeking and normally fixed-blade knives don’t redline my engine and names on sheaths are a turnoff but that Pal Blade (to me) is stunning and possibly a Remington/Pal transition (I thought RH36 was a Remington civilian model # but what the hay do I know about fixed-blade knives). Thanks for sharing, I’m sure your questions will be answered shortly.

[Gunsil]

No genius here, but you sir, are correct. Bayo is likely a model 1895 or earlier Brit issue, most WW1 Brit bayos were model 1907s, and those PALs were never GI, they were sold in PX stores. Yep, folks get old, stories get told, memories get skewed. One of my fathers best friends was in the 4th Marine (Roosevelts) Raiders and at nasty places like Tarawa and had some tales back in the 1950s and 60s. But when he was in his late 70s he was adamant that his USMC issue dagger was stainless steel which they certainly were not. That bayo is pretty nice with a great condition scabbard!!

Bestgear, Remington closed their factory in 1940 and sold all machinery and parts to PAL. All the PAL fixed blades used RH numbers, had nothing to do with "transition". There are Pocket knives with Remington and PAL marked blades in them that some consider "transition" knives, and some Remington fixed blade knives with mismatched Remington parts and some with Remington blades and PAL pommels, which some regard as "transition" knives, but all PAL hunting knives have an RH. That PAL RH 36 is likely the most commonly sold knife from the PXs. There were thousands left over after the war also, many sold through sporting magazines so they are not all actual WW2 knives.

[Berryb]

Thanks for the Help guys. I called Scott with The info so far. I think he was a little disappointed to have the family bubble burst but was impressed with what you told me so far.
Is there anyone I can contact about deciphering the marks on the bayonet? It seems the deeper I dig on the internet the further into the weeds I get (is that a mixed metaphor? If so, sorry). Most of what I find out seems to conflict with what I have found out before. Thanks again for the help.
Bruce

[Nephilim]

Did a little googling, and I'd guess that bayonet is a P1876 Martini Henry model. I don't think any of the Lee-Metford or Lee-Enfield rifles used spike bayonets (until the short spike bayo issued in WW2).

[bestgear]

No genius here, but you sir, are correct. Bayo is likely a model 1895 or earlier Brit issue, most WW1 Brit bayos were model 1907s, and those PALs were never GI, they were sold in PX stores. Yep, folks get old, stories get told, memories get skewed. One of my fathers best friends was in the 4th Marine (Roosevelts) Raiders and at nasty places like Tarawa and had some tales back in the 1950s and 60s. But when he was in his late 70s he was adamant that his USMC issue dagger was stainless steel which they certainly were not. That bayo is pretty nice with a great condition scabbard!!

Bestgear, Remington closed their factory in 1940 and sold all machinery and parts to PAL. All the PAL fixed blades used RH numbers, had nothing to do with "transition". There are Pocket knives with Remington and PAL marked blades in them that some consider "transition" knives, and some Remington fixed blade knives with mismatched Remington parts and some with Remington blades and PAL pommels, which some regard as "transition" knives, but all PAL hunting knives have an RH. That PAL RH 36 is likely the most commonly sold knife from the PXs. There were thousands left over after the war also, many sold through sporting magazines so they are not all actual WW2 knives.

thanks Gene, I always learn something new from your posts.

[jtb]

I'm seldom seen any sort of bayonet or firearm that doesn't come with the story "grandpa took it off a German officer". I've even been offered import stamped guns that were supposedly taken in combat by the person's family member.

[Berryb]

I called Scott and had him measure the bayonet. Because of the length- blade 17 inches- it is probably a 53/74, a conversion of the bayonet from the "Brown Bess" muzzle loader to the smaller diameter Martini Henry MK1. I need to get a closer look at it. What would help, maybe, would be to decipher the stamps on the blade and on the sheath. What are the crown over R over 21 and the crown over R over 36 stamps on the sheath. Or the line thru 508, and crown over E on the blade. I can't find any of that stuff on the 'net. A crown over VR would make more sense, but that is not there. Thanks
Bruce