French army. M1866 bayonet

[David R]

A rewarding and enjoyable day at a local antique arms fair and one of my prizes was this bayonet, a bit shabby, complete with scabbard and at a bargain price.Posting here with a question, how often, do these if ever. turn up in the hands of non military users in a colonial context, as in local guys carrying them as just a Yatagan, rather than an attachment to a rifle? It is a very handy side arm!

[RobT]

David R,

I saw one without the guard and with a horn hilt that looked like a typical Turkish yataghan hilt. There was no sheath. I would have loved to have it but it had just been purchased by another collector and he wasn't about to let it go. In regards to yours, I have to say that, compared to what I am used to seeing in the US, yours doesn’t look shabby at all and the prices here continue to go up. I have one made in Chatellerault and one made in St Etienne. Other arsenals are Mutzig, Paris-Oudry, Tulle, and perhaps Steyr but the ones I most often see here in the US are from St Etienne.If the serial numbers on the sheath and bayonet match, you got yourself a good bargain indeed.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Jim McDougall]

To me the most intriguing thing about French military bayonets is the potential of association with the French Foreign Legion (in a thread last year), and the novel "Beau Geste" by Christopher Wren. Then the movies, most well known the 1939 version with Gary Cooper.

In the book, it seems that the Gras M1874 was the last sword bayonet for the French, and sword bayonet was specified in the book.

It seems very possible that Chassepots (1866,1874,1876) might have been in use as well.

In the 1939 movie, the bayonet seen in the specified scene was a 1866 Lebel, epee type blade but not sword hilt....these were known as 'Rosalie'.

Naturally, it is hard to say which bayonet corresponds exactly to the Foreign Legion, regionally, period etc. and of course literature and movies do not necessarily specify correctly as a rule. However, this example to me is likely, 'of the type' in use, and that is enough for me.

[C4RL]

This is one I have, inherited from my Dad recently. He found it in a church sale just after the war hidden behind a pew (Yorkshire), he asked the man in charge about it and was told to “take it, I haven’t seen it”!
At that time my Dad (about 12~13 years old) wouldn’t have had any money & maybe “the man” (whoever he was?) knew this... different times!

[David R]

Very nice example, and with the leather frog an'all! Hard to conceive now but "back-in-the-day" a lot of stuff now collectable was seen as having little or no value at all. Bayonets used as fire pokers abounded and post war bring-backs were often seen as mere clutter. I started collecting in the mid 1960's on schoolby pocketmoney. 30 bob for a good kukri, same for an African spear, under a fiver for a rubbish wakizashi. I still have the kukri!

[C4RL]

That's a nice Kukri David 👍

Sadly the bayonet was very likely "cleaned" by my father sometime, I'm guessing before the 70's because as far as I remember the odd time I saw it growing up it always looked like that, kept in an old felt lined gun case.
He also had a 1917 Bolo & didn't know what it was, and this was definitely polished by him 😟. I've managed to i.d it as a Plumb (Philadelphia) from the barely visible markings. Again, different times regarding attitudes to "cleaning"!

[kronckew]

They made great hunting swords too! Found a French 1866 scabbard for one, fits perfectly. The UK concurrently, or at least overlapping-ly, also used a yat bladed bayonet. the advantage being the spine of the bayonet attached to its rifle was further off the bore axis, allowing for easier and safer reloading. It also stayed out of tye sight picture more for longer range shots, and made a very handy sidearm in its own right for close combat, as inside buildings or fortifications.

[David R]

I did have a choice of this one, or a British Yat' bayonet at twice the price and with no stamps at all, so it was an easy choice in the end. The British one was definitely carried as a side arm on its own, I do wonder about the French one.