Burma Naval Dha??

carlitobrigante · 17th October 2010, 09:06 PM

Hi guys

Got this fairly recently, swopped it for something else with another collector friend I know.

I believe its from 20th century. Its a very well balanced and extremely sharp blade and has had a scabbard replacement at some point recently.

The interesting bit is the gold inlaid 'anchor' symbol on the blade. Im being told this likely denotes it was used by the 'Burmese Navy'? I not too clued up on Burmese navy forces during the early part of the 20th century but I guess it was quite an irregular force made up on small patrol boats which would then patrol rivers and the coast.

The anchor is quite stylised though and it wouldnt surprise me if their was no naval connection at all and the anchor stamp is a makers mark of some kind?

Id love for more knowledgable folks opinions and wonder if any of you have come across this mark on any other blades from the region?

aiontay · 17th October 2010, 11:12 PM

I'm afraid I can't say anything about the dha, beyond the observation that in the early 20th century Burma was a British colony and then was occupied by the Japanese during WWII. Any naval force would have been under one of those two navies until 1949.

carlitobrigante · 18th October 2010, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aiontay

I'm afraid I can't say anything about the dha, beyond the observation that in the early 20th century Burma was a British colony and then was occupied by the Japanese during WWII. Any naval force would have been under one of those two navies until 1949.

Hi Aiontay, thanks for the input. I was aware of that, guess I meant 'local burmese naval forces under control of the British or Japanese' as i dont think this one dates back to the late 19th century before us Brits came a knocking.

I imagine though any coastal / river units that Myanmar did have at the time of the occupation were not simply replaced with British / Japanese forces, and would likely continue to be used?

There must have been quite a few boats used for river patrols etc which were still manned by Burmese and controlled by local government?

I figure though those are questions that will be impossible to answer due to the lack of any written evidence or records. My main reason for posting was to see if anyone else has come across this anchor mark elsewhere and if so give details on the blade it was adorning. If its a makers mark or a naval insignia i would have thought it would have turned up elsewhere previously?

Dmitry · 18th October 2010, 12:22 AM

The other possibility might be that it was a present/souvenir of a sailor of officer stationed there, or visiting those parts on a military cruise.

carlitobrigante · 18th October 2010, 12:38 AM

yeah good point Dmitry. I suppose aswell i shouldnt be so certain its early 20th century. Could be its older and its just had a re-wrapped hilt along with a newer scabbard?

aiontay · 18th October 2010, 03:02 AM

Yeah, I'd think a presentation blade might be what it is. As for local forces continuing on during the British colonial era, I'd rather doubt it. The British definitely did not recruit ethnic Burmans, and the Chin, Kachin, and Karen the British did recruit for the colonial army weren't seafaring cultures. The exception might be Karen, mainly Pwo, that lived in the delta, but I'm not aware of them having much of a maritime tradition. It is possible, but I doubt there were enough delta Karens to constitute much of a naval force.

17th October 2010, 09:06 PM	#1
carlitobrigante Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Solihull, UK Posts: 81	Burma Naval Dha?? Hi guys Got this fairly recently, swopped it for something else with another collector friend I know. I believe its from 20th century. Its a very well balanced and extremely sharp blade and has had a scabbard replacement at some point recently. The interesting bit is the gold inlaid 'anchor' symbol on the blade. Im being told this likely denotes it was used by the 'Burmese Navy'? I not too clued up on Burmese navy forces during the early part of the 20th century but I guess it was quite an irregular force made up on small patrol boats which would then patrol rivers and the coast. The anchor is quite stylised though and it wouldnt surprise me if their was no naval connection at all and the anchor stamp is a makers mark of some kind? Id love for more knowledgable folks opinions and wonder if any of you have come across this mark on any other blades from the region?

17th October 2010, 11:12 PM	#2
aiontay Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 88	I'm afraid I can't say anything about the dha, beyond the observation that in the early 20th century Burma was a British colony and then was occupied by the Japanese during WWII. Any naval force would have been under one of those two navies until 1949.

18th October 2010, 12:22 AM	#4
Dmitry Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 607	The other possibility might be that it was a present/souvenir of a sailor of officer stationed there, or visiting those parts on a military cruise.

18th October 2010, 12:38 AM	#5
carlitobrigante Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Solihull, UK Posts: 81	yeah good point Dmitry. I suppose aswell i shouldnt be so certain its early 20th century. Could be its older and its just had a re-wrapped hilt along with a newer scabbard?

18th October 2010, 03:02 AM	#6
aiontay Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 88	Yeah, I'd think a presentation blade might be what it is. As for local forces continuing on during the British colonial era, I'd rather doubt it. The British definitely did not recruit ethnic Burmans, and the Chin, Kachin, and Karen the British did recruit for the colonial army weren't seafaring cultures. The exception might be Karen, mainly Pwo, that lived in the delta, but I'm not aware of them having much of a maritime tradition. It is possible, but I doubt there were enough delta Karens to constitute much of a naval force.