WW1 MK2 Kukri

[BBJW]

Yesterday a fake MK2 was sold on Ebay for $400+!! So I thought I would post mine with correct markings, grip, and scabbard.

Cheers
bbjw

[Bill M]

Thanks BBJW good idea. Mine are also WWI (John Powell provenance). Scabbards are recent, but should be faithful copies.

[spiral]

Yes sadley fake ww1 1917 kukri go through ebay evry week.

Heres an update of an article I did for Internation kukri reserch & historic society after updating for Sword Forum Antinque kukri forum. It illustrates the offcial British Gurkha kukri variations. There our other real types but not offcialy patterned. They are also also more of a mine field if you are inexpierienced with kukri, there a lot of old innacurate information still on the net despite JPs requests for it to be removed & ignored.

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The 20th Century British Military Pattern Gurkha Issue Kukri.

Perhaps this little article will help answear some of the most frequant questians I see & hear about the main British Gurkha military pattern kukri.



Many kukris have been used by the Nepali Gurkhas of the British army, with small purchases by various, units, regiments, & of course many private purchases by individual officers & men.



But there have only ever been 5 military pattern number kukris in official British Gurkha issue.



Other models have been issued notably various length military Sirupati in WW2 , & the various kaudi less hybrid kukri/dah models from 1919 to 1945 , & indeed The famous "Mahraraja of Jodhpur" kukris in WW1 although sadley any real evidence or photos of them bieng carried to date is totaly lacking.

Many traditional kukris are seen in photos from WW1 & WW2 and these can be either early or more unofficial{non pattern.} kukri or private purchase or even family heirloom kukri, as according to the Brigade of Gurkhas many Gurkhas returned from thir first leave with a traditional kukri rather than a military issue variant. Judging from photos tha majority carried issue kukri though.



Historical Family hierloom kukris were sometimes even brought along by the new recruits, who according to various testimonies from WW2 veterans those that did would often only use those as their weapons while using the issue kukri for utility work.







Here are the 5 patterns. In number order Mk.1 at top.







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The First official numbered British Indian Gurkha military kukri the mk.1 was in production by 1903 up until at least 1915.



It was a break from the traditional hidden partial tangs to a full length rat tail tang culminating in turn nut similar in design to a rifle stock recessed into the walnut butt.


Many of them are unmarked although some later 1915 models carry manufactures stamp Co. & sometimes FW marks on the spine occur which may be the inspection mark from Fort William.


There weights vary from 24oz to 33 oz {On those I have examined.} Blade lengths typicaly in the 13 1/4 to 14 inch range.

Here are the 2 variant mk. I s, the lower longer handled one is a rarer variant. Although all mk.1s are rare most are short handled.









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The mk.2 was in production by 1915 & was to stay in manufacture for the British army until at least 1944 so certainly they ran into production figures of many thousands.



It has been produced by many manufactures & armories over the years.



Commercial private purchase versions production continued after the war.

There weights can vary from 22oz to 28oz but most seem to be the 24 oz to 25 oz range.{On those I have examined.}



The 3 ww1 manufactures most often seen are {with years of production runs that I know off so far.}





CO. 1915,1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, The predominant maker by far, made at Cossipore arsenal more famous for its artilary pieces.



DHW 1918, 1919



RGB 1917, 1918





Rarer manufactures include,



E.boota Singh &sons, {Rawlpindi} 1917



AS & Sons Ltd. A model of which only one very high quality piece is known dating from 1916.



RFI {Rifle Factory Ishapore.} are also known to have made a small high quality batch in 1927.



In ww2 well known manufactures include.



ATD, {Army Traders Dharan} {or possibly Dehra Dun} 1942, 1943

MIL, 1941, 1942,

Pioneer, {Calcutta} 1943, 1944

Queera Bros. 1943, 1944

JNB 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944



One variant mk.2 often called the M.43 after the manufactures stamp found on it is identifiable by the mark, & sunken rivets combined with an integrally welded tang , bolster join, but as these 2 later features can be found on other mk.2s the mark is the real key. {Although some occasionally appear to have escaped marking.}

Some people refer to this as a separate model in my opinion it is just a particular manufacturers interpretation of the design as none of the differences sited only occur on m.43s other than the stamp.

I have an early m.43 which has the original style handle of the early mk.2s, which helps show its ancestry.






Here 3 mk. 2s a typical Co. made 1917 , at top, a Queeta Bros. mk.2 in the middle, and a m.43 at the bottom.









Heers typical Co. & m.43 stamps.







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[spiral]

The mk.3 kukri came into being in 1943 according to Indian sources & was certainly in mass production by 1944. It is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the K.45 design based on the date stamp present on some examples made in 1945.



It is still the most commonly issued kukri to the Indian armed forces.



Thousands or even millions have been made, but the only Genuine military pieces are those that were actually purchased by the military forces. The others are just commercial copys even if made by the same companys.







It was designed for easy & fast production & was made by many companies.

Including. {With years of production runs that I have seen to date.}





Mil, 1945



WSC {Windlass steel Crafts} 1944, 1945,



CMW {Calcutta}, produced very high quality specimens that have many easily recognizable manufacturer & army inspection stamps.1944, 1945





Many MK.III were not maker clearly marked, or were badly stamped.



Other manufactures include Chowdri & DKW who both produced during 1945 at least but most likely for the Indian army after Independence as well.



Many of these kukris have been made to the present day & it has been used by many Indian army Gorkha units as well as commercially exported in lower quality versions to the USA & Europe for over 50 years.

It weights from 19 oz to 26 oz. {On those I have examined.}


1944 & 45 versions of the CMW mk.III kukri & detail of manufacturers stamp & army inspection marks.















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Next we have the mk.4 was the rarest official kukri pattern model to ever exist, and the last 50+ years have made it virtually extinct.



It was designed in 1949/50 by Wilkinson Sword Company. It appears the British army wanted to buy British despite the much higher cost rather than keep purchasing from The Indian kukri factories/ Government.



In profile its looks nearly identical to the mk.3 which was obviously its design basis but when examined by hand their are many subtle differences.



WSC confirmed to me that only 1400 were ever made, {possibly 1401 including the prototype pattern room model.}



A very small number for an army production run. Less than 10/% of serving Gurkhas would have been issued with them.



They where a very high quality hand forged production by some of the worlds leading sword smiths & cutlers. With some unusual minor features not seen on other models. } & presumably the cost of having them made by WSC resulted in no further orders for this know sought after model.



They seem to have been mainly issued in the Far East, particularly Malaya. A large number went to the Gurkha signals.



What happened to them is sometimes regarded as a mystery , I have heard many unsubstantiated stories, but it seems to me the simple truth is they most where never brought back out of Malaya ever again they were used to destruction in the longest jungle campaign fought by the Gurkha in there their long & bloody history.



A couple of years never mind 10 or 15 years in the Borneo jungle would rust & rot most equipment beyond recognition. According to army sources canvas jungle boots & webbing would be rotting within 2 weeks.



Hence I think the rarity of the mk.4 Wilkinson sword kukri. Not many were made, Then in that extreme environment handles eventually warped or rotted & Loosened the unless cleaned & oiled every day the steel rusted.



Literally Only a handful of them are known to be in existence today.

Which with the quality of workmanship that went into them & place in history seems rather a shame.



It is the holy Grail for serious collectors of Military kukri.













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Some time during the early 1960s the ”new” mk.5 kukri was introduced. {Which nowadays also has 12 digit NATO service number}



Often called the BAS {British Army Standard} or BSI {British service issue.} By kukri aficionados These are Nepali manufacturer’s terms & seem to bear no relation to any British military designation.







It is generally made in Nepal rather than India.

This shorter much lighter kukri was introduced a few years after every Gurkha had been issued with the British SLR copy of the Belgian FAL automatic rifle, or the Sterling submachine gun. One assumes that by which point the powers that be thought a smaller lighter camping style or self defence kukri was acceptable .Rather than the earlier more sidearm battle worthy style kukris.



This model is made by numerous Nepali firms nearly all of which claim to supply The British Army.



In a way it seems irrelevant which of them do as the current versions of it manufactured most seem to be low quality. No different than the average modern tourist kukri.



The lowest bidder wins the army contract each year so for many years Lalit of khukri house has been one of the main supplies as the size of his business presumably allows him to undercut the competition. Of course he was also a Gurkha for many years & maintains his contacts within, the British army, the Gukhas & at the officer training school Sandhurst.



Hundreds of thousands have been made, but the only Genuine military pieces are those that were actually purchased by the military forces. The others are just commercial copys even if made by the same companys.



The higher quality versions of this kukri I have seen, were made by kamis employed the British army themselves working at Dharan army base. They are normally marked "Ordep Nepal" with a date stamp. {Generally from the 1980s.} With superior fit & finish, they have a superior feel to the ones marketed today that I have handled.



They were made in 3 grades, the High Quality ceremonial, the issue & the training kukri. Interestingly most other Manufactures ceremonial models are low quality chrome plaited blade items.



Many minor variants exist due to the number of manufacturers & many years of production when multiplied by the 3 required versions.

It seems a short training model has been issued to recruits for many years & sometimes it is carried throughout there service. Blade Lengths of 10 1/4 inch to 11 inch are common & it is possible a few were even longer in the 1960s judging from old photos.





3 Dharan army base made mk.5 kukri, All weigh between 16oz & 17oz



Training model at top, {unmarked.}



Issue standard. Middle.



Ceremonial at bottom.









Typical marks found on the Base made kukris.







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I welcome any further information & photos to evidence opinions emailed to me at spiraltwista@aol.com please include kukri in title. To enable further updating of this article.




Enjoy your kukris!



Spiral.



Photos & information on this page can be freely used elsewhere for discusian, other than written or commercial publication or websites as long as following statement included.


“Text & photos copyright, Spiral JRS Feb. 2007.”



Alternative spellings include.. Khukri, Khukuri. Kookerie. Gurka. Goorkha. etc.etc.


cheers,
Spiral

[beoram]

Spiral,

Many thanks for a very informative article!

You said this is based on an article you did for swordforum? I couldn't find that one.

In any case, a very well-written article which made the military kukri evolution much clearer to me.

cheers,
b.

[spiral]

Thankyou Beo, the clue was in the first sentance.

Originally Posted by spiral

after updating for Sword Forum Antinque kukri forum.

Its a sticky in the forum, due to the past politics & arguments caused by John past article & its lack of updating or correction, I was asked by Andreas to submit it as a sticky, not an "Official article"


BBJW has kindley sent me a photo of a 1942 Pioneer Calcutta mk.II piece, so that helps expand the age range of that maker.

Spiral

[Andrew]

Excellent article, Spiral. Many thanks.

I've added this to the "Classics" thread.