How "new" is Tulwar?

[ariel]

Indian army still maintains a cavalry unit: the 61st Regiment. AFAIK, its current role is largely ceremonial. However Indian cavalry units were actively deployed in Europe by the Brits during WWI and continued their existence much later, to the point of being amalgamated into the 61st Regiment in the 1950s.

My questions:

Were they armed with traditional tulwars or with European style regulation sabers?
If the former, how late were tulwars actively manufactured? Where? I know of Tulwar examples marked Birmingham, but always assumed that covered post-Mutiny period and those were clearly marked. Were British-made Tulwars supplied to active Indian units even later? Or did their production change hands to native factories?

I am asking because the market seems to offer quite a lot of classical Tulwars with minimal decorative elements that somehow look rather new, although used, and with tarp-covered scabbards.

[Jim McDougall]

Interesting question Ariel,
As far as I recall, there are many variations of means in supplying swords to the rank and file in the native Indian regiments after the mutiny. There were many contractors furnishing swords many based in Birmingham of course. Outfits like Joseph Bourne & Son were producing examples of the much favored British M1796 light cavalry stirrup hilt into the 1890s. I have seen reference to these used into the 1930s by units in the Khyber Agency areas.

Wilkinson as well as Mole produced three bar hilt colonial sabres from 1880s into early years of the 20th c. and these were versionsof the M1829 light cavalry sabres.
The M1853 cavalry sabre was also much favored.

While these were not 'regulation' British cavalry swords, they were continued versions of them, produced long after their prototype examples had become obsolete.

The various units were permitted to select their select forms (described in "Swords in Color" by John Wilkinson-Latham, I think it was, 1970s).
Many chose to continue use of their own Indo-Persian tulwars (note that ALL swords in use were often termed tulwar, the name game again!).

The Mole company produced numbers of brass hilted tulwars of standard form in 1880s+ and like most of the other forms, were marked Mole on the blade back. The Mole firm was bought out by Wilkinson in 1921 I think.

Most weapons produced in England and sent to these units were marked ISD (India Stores Dept.) and there were apparently numerous producers who established factories or assembly centers in India. I believe many weapons circumvented the normal channels to these centers and avoided being marked as reflected by ISD inspections.

Of course officers had outfitters in many locations in India where their swords were marketed from dealers in England.

The numbers of production firms I think is unclear, and swords are not always clearly marked or recorded, so I think examples must be researched individually and estimated on merits of evidence at hand.

[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!