How "new" is Tulwar?

[ariel]

Jim,
Thank you for the info.

So, am I to understand that manufacture of typical tulwars ( with Tulwar handle) for military purposes was continued well into mid-20s century?

I am not referring to Cold Steel and such.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by ariel

Jim,
Thank you for the info.

So, am I to understand that manufacture of typical tulwars ( with Tulwar handle) for military purposes was continued well into mid-20s century?

I am not referring to Cold Steel and such.

I am not sure of just how long they were produced, but certainly seem to have been into probably around 1910 and for certain ceremonial wear longer. John Wilkinson-Latham is the guy to talk to, Ive long lost touch with him though. With the constant production of tulwars of average grade in Rajasthan (still active) it would not be surprising if they were contracted there.
Many Native cavalry units were present with British forces in the Peking matter in China in 1900, and Bengal and other lancers were active in certain WWI campaigns. It seems though that most of these units were using sabres of vintage British cavalry types such as M1796 .I have seen these used by the 13th Bengal Lancers, as confirmed by a British general I visited and who led a mounted charge in the Khyber region in 1931. There were the much standard three bar (1829) form which had varied blade lengths for Madras and Bengal, and the M1853 pattern (many of which were produced by Rodwell & Co. but mostly for private security forces).

I once had a pair of the brass hilt tulwars marked 'MOLE' but these are rarely seen and no elaboration was available....perhaps they just had the Mole blades (many of the 1829 types used his blades).

[stenoyab]

The Mole tulwar I had has a steel hilt, with the loop on the dish.
As far as I'm aware this was the "All British" made tulwar, with blade marked to Mole.
I'm not sure if a brass hilted example would be a blade supplied to India and then hilted?.

[BBJW]

I have a very plain Tulwar marked Mole that I was told was brought back to India when Raja Ajit Singh attended Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. He went on a shopping trip while there and the Tulwars bought were likely just the blades and then the hilts put on in India.- bbjw

[Jim McDougall]

Excellent entries, thank you guys!
It has been a very long time since researching these British Raj items, but it seems I have seen tulwars similar to the one Stenoyab shows. The curious rectangular aperture on the dish seems of course for a sword knot or lanyard. The style of lettering placed on the face of the blade with hyper lettering seems aligned with character of such marking around turn of the century to WWI period.
The MOLE markings on the earlier forms were stamped block letters on the blade back near hilt, much the same as done from early 19th century well through the century on British made blades.

BBJW, thank you especially for that info on Raja Ajit Singh, which really tells me more on those MOLE tulwars I had (wish I still did!). While the Mole blades were typically mounted on the three bar hilts (they rather incongruently were of the more hatchet point type of the M1796 sabres) on the ones made in England, these blades only must have been mounted in India as you note.

[stenoyab]

If you notice on the one I posted photos of, the tang of the blade goes through the entire hilt.

[ariel]

Thanks to all of you!