Interesting saber

Jim McDougall · 18th October 2023, 09:56 PM

This is a nice example of the standard M1827 sword for Royal British naval officers, which remained in use through the 19th c. into the 20th. The more modern examples have much lighter blades as introduced in 1929.

It seems the blade likely is with Ottoman affectation and gilt with inscription probably for a naval officer perhaps affiliated with the Royal Naval base at Aden, in Arabia. This was an active naval port and entrepot charged with control of Aden to the Hadhramaut to the east in Yemen. This port and station became key after the opening of the Suez canal in 1869, and remained so until 1960s.

Wilkinson was of course a London maker specializing in officers swords which were indeed serial numbered, but also supplied these to military outfitters, which often existed in these colonial outposts. As Aden was officially part of the Bombay Presidency, such an outfitter may have been in Bombay, or indeed in Aden, whichever the case, the Ottoman presence and influence was at hand.

British officers in colonial regions often adopted influences of the local cultures in arms and fashion, so this kind of cross diffusion is not unusual.
In India there were Indian hilts on British blades, and sometimes vice versa.
There is also the possibility of this sword being intended as a diplomatic gift.
This blade is British and certainly not Ottoman nor Indian, and there is no reason to think it is not homogenous to this sword.

18th October 2023, 09:56 PM	#10
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,931	This is a nice example of the standard M1827 sword for Royal British naval officers, which remained in use through the 19th c. into the 20th. The more modern examples have much lighter blades as introduced in 1929. It seems the blade likely is with Ottoman affectation and gilt with inscription probably for a naval officer perhaps affiliated with the Royal Naval base at Aden, in Arabia. This was an active naval port and entrepot charged with control of Aden to the Hadhramaut to the east in Yemen. This port and station became key after the opening of the Suez canal in 1869, and remained so until 1960s. Wilkinson was of course a London maker specializing in officers swords which were indeed serial numbered, but also supplied these to military outfitters, which often existed in these colonial outposts. As Aden was officially part of the Bombay Presidency, such an outfitter may have been in Bombay, or indeed in Aden, whichever the case, the Ottoman presence and influence was at hand. British officers in colonial regions often adopted influences of the local cultures in arms and fashion, so this kind of cross diffusion is not unusual. In India there were Indian hilts on British blades, and sometimes vice versa. There is also the possibility of this sword being intended as a diplomatic gift. This blade is British and certainly not Ottoman nor Indian, and there is no reason to think it is not homogenous to this sword.