'military' KUKRI for comment

[thinreadline]

Originally Posted by spiral

Nice kukri,

Could be a private purchase, or A unit purchased piece, possibly even unit manufactured. {usualy at Battalion level.} Could be ww2 or earlier kukri with a ww2 scabbard..

To be more certain, can you do a good close ups of the numbers & also a photo of the small knives as well please.

Spiral

Thanks Spiral .. thats interesting . Pic of the small knives as requested... just cant get a decent pic of the numbers in close up sorry.

[sirupate]

Hello Thinreadline,

TRL;official military patterns

I believe you are talking about the Mk issued kukri?
All I.A., Regimental or Battalion issue kukri are 'Official' kukri.
Your rather nice find is a typical regimental issue kukri, post 1919, pre 1919 battalions would often have their own kukri made.
After 1919 due to re-organisation they would be regimental issue, and when times required due to an influx of recruits due to the WW's for example I.A. kukri which includes Mk issue were distributed as needs arose (sometimes Battalions opted for Mk issue).
The kind of scabbard the kukri is in, was in use both pre and during WW2, one thing for sure is that it is genuine!! Cheers Simon
PS If the person that owned it was not in the Gurkhas, he could have acquired it off a Gurkha, not unknown!!

[thinreadline]

Originally Posted by sirupate

Hello Thinreadline,

I believe you are talking about the Mk issued kukri?
All I.A., Regimental or Battalion issue kukri are 'Official' kukri.
Your rather nice find is a typical regimental issue kukri, post 1919, pre 1919 battalions would often have their own kukri made.
After 1919 due to re-organisation they would be regimental issue, and when times required due to an influx of recruits due to the WW's for example I.A. kukri which includes Mk issue were distributed as needs arose (sometimes Battalions opted for Mk issue).
The kind of scabbard the kukri is in, was in use both pre and during WW2, one thing for sure is that it is genuine!! Cheers Simon
PS If the person that owned it was not in the Gurkhas, he could have acquired it off a Gurkha, not unknown!!

Thanks Simon .. that is very reassuring , this means that I will keep it ! I am told that the owner was a Chindit in the Duke of Wellingtons Regiment.
Richmond

[spiral]

The small knives are ww2 era, Hard to date kukri more exactlly without bieng able to study the font.

Despite Simons statement ,Some battalions still made or bought thier own kukri during ww2 due to supply difficulities during ww2 with the main pattern kukri.This is well documented.

If the number matches the Duke of Welligntons it was probably private purchase, stamped in the bazzar or kukri factors front shop.Due you have the soldiers surname? ill check his records.

Personaly i expect Gurkha.Kuamon or Garhwall regiment history is more likely.But Ive been mistaken on occasion.

Spiral

[thinreadline]

Originally Posted by spiral

The small knives are ww2 era, Hard to date kukri more exactlly without bieng able to study the font.

Despite Simons statement ,Some battalions still made or bought thier own kukri during ww2 due to supply difficulities during ww2 with the main pattern kukri.This is well documented.

If the number matches the Duke of Welligntons it was probably private purchase, stamped in the bazzar or kukri factors front shop.Due you have the soldiers surname? ill check his records.

Personaly i expect Gurkha.Kuamon or Garhwall regiment history is more likely.But Ive been mistaken on occasion.

Spiral

Yes the name was Matchett .... I believe he started off in the Kings Liverpools and was then transferred whilst in Burma. I will try to get a decent shot of the numbers on Sat. I would be very interested in whatever you can turn up on this. Thanks for your interest.

[thinreadline]

Originally Posted by spiral

The small knives are ww2 era, Hard to date kukri more exactlly without bieng able to study the font.

Despite Simons statement ,Some battalions still made or bought thier own kukri during ww2 due to supply difficulities during ww2 with the main pattern kukri.This is well documented.

If the number matches the Duke of Welligntons it was probably private purchase, stamped in the bazzar or kukri factors front shop.Due you have the soldiers surname? ill check his records.

Personaly i expect Gurkha.Kuamon or Garhwall regiment history is more likely.But Ive been mistaken on occasion.

Spiral

This is the best I can do with the numbers ... hope it helps.

[sirupate]

Hi Thinredline, here is a couple of my old WW2 IA kukri;

A great photo of two Gurkhas in Italy with their IA issue kukri;

Close up of the kukri

The type of kukri carried

For information regarding the numbers on your kukri, I would try David Harding via the Gurkha Museum in Winchester, if you send good quality photo's to them that is who they would use. He is a a top chap and the GM's weapons expert, as well as being the 10th GR historian.

Spiral; Despite Simons statement ,Some battalions still made or bought thier own kukri during ww2 due to supply difficulities during ww2 with the main pattern kukri.This is well documented.

Proof of documentation please Jonathan.

The problems of supply in WW2, are well recorded, for example at Quetta (pre-1947 in India, now Pakistan) the 8th GR centre, by Autumm of 1943 they had an influx of 6,000 Gurkhas (mainly recruits), and although supplies had improved, they only had three rifles per five men, one LMG per platoon and so on.

The supply problems also probably account for the variations in the 8th GR kukri blade styles that occured, which was probably the result of the regiment having to use various manufactures to meet the demand of supply. It would also account for a lot of 8th GR kukri in WW2 not being armourer marked, if you can imagine from recruiting a few score of men (score=20) a year to a few thousand, some overload, plus of course the supply problem that were involved as well, along with the fact that most of the armourers were away with the active Battalions.

Major-General M. Callan (WW2); recalls “I am sure I wore a kukri in combat uniform (jungle green), a Quarter Master (QM) issue like everybody else in the battalion, which must have been 90% ‘hostilities only’ enlistments apart from only one BO (the CO) and GOs and older ORs from pre-war”.

Captain McCalla (WW2) ‘All men carried regulation IA kukris’

Captain Bhaktasing; "They were not issued kukri while they were recruited in the recruiting centre. A kukri was issued for jungle training phase after he completed basic training that was not as smooth as nowadays.
He has had taken the kukri with him after his completion of training and posted to the regiment 2 GR"

Major Deny’s Drayton (7th GR WWII) who ended up at Monty Casino, said;
"That Gurkhas only carried IA issue kukri"

[thinreadline]

Thank you sirupate ... yours looks just like mine and the ones in pics seem the same as well. This is excellent.

[spiral]

Generaly I ignore Simon Hengle of Tora Replica kukri supplies, as life is to short to waste on such things ,but a request for documentry evidence I do view as legitamate on this occasion.

I wish he would also supply documentry evidence of his statements.

Jonathan Sedwell AKA spiral

Originally Posted by sirupate

Your rather nice find is a typical regimental issue kukri, post 1919, pre 1919 battalions would often have their own kukri made.
After 1919 due to re-organisation they would be regimental issue, and when times required due to an influx of recruits due to the WW's for example I.A. kukri which includes Mk issue were distributed as needs arose (sometimes Battalions opted for Mk issue)

To which I stated...

Originally Posted by spiral

Despite Simons statement ,Some battalions still made or bought thier own kukri during ww2 due to supply difficulities during ww2 with the main pattern kukri.This is well documented.
Spiral

Hence Simon Hengles request....

Originally Posted by sirupate

Proof of documentation please Jonathan.

A legitamate request... quite a reliable source realy.

The Official Regimental history of the 8th Gurkha Rifles.

By Leutenant-Colonel H.J. Huxford.

Published in 1952 ,


Or a more amusing source.

Originally Posted by sirupate

The use of outside Manufactures by Battalions was of course pretty common.

FromLinky... {Bottom of second page.}



Jonathan Sedwell AKA spiral

[sirupate]

Generaly I ignore Simon Hengle of Tora Replica kukri supplies,

Thanks for the advert Jonathan

Or a more amusing source.

Ah an article from four years ago, re-search still ongoing and views and opinions change.

The Official Regimental history of the 8th Gurkha Rifles. By Leutenant-Colonel H.J. Huxford. Published in 1952

A very rare book, which seems to be your main source, as you have posted scanned pictures of the text you refer to in other books in the past, could you do the same again Jonathan?

[Lew]

Just keep it civil guys!

[sirupate]

I am Lew, many thanks Simon

[spiral]

Originally Posted by sirupate

A very rare book

Click Me!



Nice enough Lew?

[sirupate]

Rare and expensive Spiral! So as you already have the book, can you scan and post like you have done before?

[Atlantia]

Originally Posted by spiral

Click Me!

ROTF!! I clicked it and nearly fell off the chair laughing.

[sirupate]

It is pretty clever, but it would be nice if Jonathan could oblige with a copy of the text though

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by Atlantia

ROTF!! I clicked it and nearly fell off the chair laughing.

I was hoping it would open the link to a page that was scanned as other books are on the next....next best thing, see above