Wilkinson Sword Company Kukri (WSC 51)

[mrcjgscott]

Wilkinson Sword Company Kukri (WSC 51)

Below is some basic information about the Wilkinson Kukri, which I have been researching in depth for some time. There will be further information coming in the new year, as some breakthroughs have been made, which I am currently in the process of collating.

My thanks go to Robert Wilkinson Latham for allowing me free access to important historical documents, and for his kind assistance with my many questions.

The initial design process began sometime during mid 1949, with the final design being sealed on 12th October 1950.

During this time, Jack Wilkinson Latham, the then Managing Director of Wilkinson’s, questioned some of the specifications given by the war office. Chief amongst these were the strict inspection tolerances concerning the Kaudi. Upon further enquiry, it was ascertained that it was the Chief Inspector of Ordinances opinion that the kaudi was used as a sight, so that the kukri may be thrown with accuracy, and should therefore be produced to the same tolerances as a rifle sight!

Needless to say, after a short discourse on the history and construction of the kukri, the ordinance relented, and the blade and kaudi were allowed the same tolerances.
Officially designated MK IV/MK4. These names appear on the official Wilkinson Sword productions drawings.

Interestingly both the terms “Kookrie” and “Kukri” are used on the Wilkinson Sword Documents, the documents being updated in 1968 with a Nato stock code (1095-99-962-0535)

The MkVI was also referred to as “Kit kookrie MK1” in official correspondence with the Inspector of Armaments during 1969 , but this refers to the kukri, scabbard, frog, karda and chakmak as a unit.

It is estimated that 1402 were finally produced by Wilkinson’s. This is an unusually small amount for a military production run, Less than 10% of serving gurkhas at the time would have been issued with them. This lends credence to the theory that the WSC order was an experiment in logistics, quality and costs.

[mrcjgscott]

It does not take a kukri “guru” to see that the Wilkinson MK IV was based on the WW2 designed Mk III. Placed side by side the resemblance is striking. However, upon closer inspection there are certain features which set the two Marks apart.
Wilkinson’s produced a high quality kukri. The blades were all hand forged, the butt plates and scabbard chapes were both chromed. The steel used in production was to Wilkinson’s own specification. Such products don’t come cheap, and it is easy to see why the initial order was for such a small number.

Of the kukris produced, 1400 went to the Army, two were retained by Wilkinson’s themselves as samples for possible future orders.

Despite Wilkinson’s maintaining a dialogue with the Ministry regarding further production, none were ever made. Cost seems to be the main issue, as Wilkinson submitted plans for more cost effective models, but by this point, the MK5 had reared it’s ugly head, and sourcing kukri in India was by far the more cost effective solution.

So what became of the 1400 that were produced and issued? Most seem to have found their way to the Far East, for issue in the Malaya and Borneo campaigns.
Such unforgiving jungle environments probably did nothing to improve the chances of survival. Infact, fifty (50) examples were returned to Wilkinson who were asked to rehilt warped English Beech grips. Later they were tasked with supplying a further four hundred (400) replacement hilts and rivet fittings.

[mrcjgscott]

Of the examples I own, three have verifiable provenance, which has assisted me in ascertaining a little more of what became of the 1400. There are many rumours also, some based in truth, some in fantasy.

One story is that the gurkhas believed the blades had no soul, and simply threw them away. Another says that a large portion are still sitting in a warehouse in Singapore, gathering dust. Gurkhas, for anybody who has never spent time with them, are a canny bunch, so I don’t see them discarding kukris en masse. The army doesn’t tend to listen to how people “feel” about a weapon, the nature of the beast is that items will continue to be issued (with the requisite forms and hurdles of course) until they are either all gone, or no longer required.

However, one interesting account comes from a Captain R.V.W. Curd, Royal West Kent Regiment (1942-1953) and Royal Army Ordnance Corps (1953-1965), who wrote to Wilkinson’s some years later.

In the letter Captain Curd wrote: “It was part of my duties to order replacement kukris from one of our officers stationed in Northern India whose job it was to buy them locally from makers in the area. Some years prior to my arrival, Gurkhas in Malaya seemed to be wanting too frequent replacements for worn out knives, so somebody ordered a trial sample order from your firm for field trials by one gurkha company”.

He continues “The first I heard about them was when the consignment was returned to Singapore as the Gurkha’s didn’t like them. The reason given was that the quality was too high, and that once the fine edge of the main knife was gone, they could not sharpen them. The little sharpening knife couldn’t cope with the hard blade, and there were no stone wheels in the jungle!”.

Now, I can understand that the handles were an issue, and probably began rotting in the jungle as soon as they arrived, hence the order for repairs and replacements. But having used a WSC 51 Chakmak (sharpening steel) to sharpen a Wilkinson Sword 51 kukri, I can assure you it works just fine.

Perhaps a small number of unissued pieces were returned, and perhaps they are the majority of the excellent condition pieces we see on the market today. I can understand that the Wilkinson quality and brand would have certainly appealed to Gurkha Officers, so perhaps some found their way home that way. (One of mine certainly did!)

And as for the rest? Malaya lasted for twelve years, so I doubt it would take long to burn through 1400 kukris. I don’t see any great mystery, they were issued, used, repaired, reissued, used, etc until they were either destroyed, rendered unserviceable, or replaced by something else. I don’t think many made it home.

Around twenty (20) examples are currently extant, in various museums and private collections across the globe. Many are found in relatively good condition. The hardest part of the set to come by is the frog. I have seen less than five complete sets. For those want to collect a complete set of British Pattern Kukri, they are quite simply, the holy grail.

[mrcjgscott]

I forgot to add an image of the chromed butt plate or pommel.

Another measure to combat against deterioration in the jungle. Sadly as the beech grips all warped and rotted it was all for naught.

Kind regards,

Chris

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams ...Since I know very little about this weapon may I place what I wished I did know using first Wiki Pedia and then, of course, Forum Library ...and hopefully some of the gaps can be filled...

History[edit]

Quote."Balbhadra Kunwar, Gurkha commander during the Battle of Nalapani (1814), part of the Gurkha War, armed with a khukuri in his left hand
While some western authors conjecture that the khukuri was based on similar European weapons and brought to South Asia by Alexander the Great, researchers give it a much longer history tracing back to the domestic sickle and the prehistoric bent stick used for hunting and later in hand-to-hand combat.
Richard F. Burton ascribes this semi-convergent independent origin to weapons from several regions such as the Greek kopis, the Egyptian khopesh, the Iberian falcata, the Illyrian sica, the Dacian falx, and the Australian tombat. In India, it has also been hypothesized that the khukuri was the origin of the kopis, rather than vice versa. Similar instruments have existed in several forms throughout South Asia and were used both as weapons and as tools, such as for sacrificial rituals. Burton (1884) writes that the British Museum housed a large kukri-like ancient Indian falchion inscribed with Pali characters. Among the oldest existing kukri are those belonging to Drabya Shah (circa 1559), housed in the National Museum of Nepal in Kathmandu.

The kukri came to be known to the Western world when the East India Company came into conflict with the growing Gorkha Kingdom, culminating in the Gurkha War of 1814–1816. It gained literary attention in the 1897 novel Dracula by Irish author Bram Stoker. Despite the popular image of Dracula having a stake driven through his heart at the conclusion of a climactic battle between Dracula's bodyguards and the heroes, Mina's narrative describes his throat being sliced through by Jonathan Harker's kukri and his heart pierced by Quincey Morris's Bowie knife.

All Gurkha troops are issued with two khukuri, a Service No.1 (ceremonial) and a Service No.2 (exercise); in modern times members of the Brigade of Gurkhas receive training in its use. The weapon gained fame in the Gurkha War and its continued use through both World War I and World War II enhanced its reputation among both Allied troops and enemy forces. Its acclaim was demonstrated in North Africa by one unit's situation report. It reads: "Enemy losses: ten killed, ours nil. Ammunition expenditure nil." Elsewhere during the Second World War, the kukri was purchased and used by other British, Commonwealth and US troops training in India, including the Chindits and Merrill's Marauders. The notion of the Gurkha with his kukri carried on through to the Falklands War.

Design
The kukri is designed primarily for chopping. The shape varies a great deal from being quite straight to highly curved with angled or smooth spines. There are substantial variations in dimensions and blade thickness depending on intended tasks as well as the region of origin and the smith that produced it. As a general guide the spines vary from 5–10 mm at the handle, and can taper to 2 mm by the point while the blade lengths can vary from 26–38 cm for general use.

A kukri designed for general purpose is commonly 40–45 cm (16–18 in) in overall length and weighs approximately 450–900 grams (1–2 lbs). Larger examples are impractical for everyday use and are rarely found except in collections or as ceremonial weapons. Smaller ones are of more limited utility, but very easy to carry.

Another factor that affects its weight and balance is the construction of the blade. To reduce weight while keeping strength the blade might be hollow forged, or a fuller is created. Kukris are made with several different types of fuller including: tin chira (triple fuller), dui chira (double fuller), angkhola (single fuller), or basic non-tapered spines with a large beveled edge.

Kukri blades usually have a notch (kauda, kaudi, kaura, or cho) at the base of the blade. Various reasons are given for this, both practical and ceremonial: that it makes blood and sap drop off the blade rather than running onto the handle; that it delineates the end of the blade whilst sharpening; that it is a symbol representing a cows' foot, or Shiva. The notch may also represent the teats of a cow, a reminder that the kukri should not be used to kill a cow, an animal revered and worshipped by Hindus.

The handles are most often made of hardwood or water buffalo horn, but ivory, bone, and metal handles have also been produced. The handle quite often has a flared butt that allows better retention in draw cuts and chopping. Most handles have metal bolsters and butt plates which are generally made of brass or steel.

The traditional handle attachment in Nepal is the partial tang, although the more modern versions have the stick tang which has become popular. The full tang is mainly used on some military models, but has not caught-on in Nepal itself.

The kukri typically comes in either a decorated wooden scabbard or one which is wrapped in leather. Traditionally, the scabbard also holds two smaller blades: an unsharpened chakmak to burnish the blade, and another accessory blade called a karda. Some older style scabbards include a pouch for carrying flint or dry tinder.

Manufacture

A Gurkha officer of the Gurkha Contingent, Singapore Police Force patrols around Raffles City during the 117th IOC Session. He wears the distinctively tilted Hat Terrai Gurkha, the kukri can be seen attached to the back of his belt
The Kami and Biswakarma castes are the traditional inheritors of the art of kukri-making. Modern kukri blades are often forged from spring steel, sometimes collected from recycled truck suspension units. The tang of the blade usually extends all the way through to the end of the handle; the small portion of the tang that projects through the end of the handle is hammered flat to secure the blade. Kukri blades have a hard, tempered edge and a softer spine. This enables them to maintain a sharp edge, yet tolerate impacts.

Kukri handles, usually made from hardwood or buffalo horn, are often fastened with a kind of tree sap called laha (also known as "Himalayan epoxy"). With a wood or horn handle, the tang may be heated and burned into the handle to ensure a tight fit, since only the section of handle which touches the blade is burned away. In more modern kukri, handles of cast aluminium or brass are press-fitted to the tang; as the hot metal cools it shrinks and hardens, locking onto the blade. Some kukri (such as the ones made by contractors for the modern Indian Army), have a very wide tang with handle slabs fastened on by two or more rivets, commonly called a full tang (panawal) configuration.

Traditional profiling of the blade edge is performed by a two-man team; one spins a grinding wheel forwards and backwards by means of a rope wound several times around an axle while the sharpener applies the blade. The wheel is made by hand from fine river sand bound by laha, the same adhesive used to affix the handle to the blade. Routine sharpening is traditionally accomplished by passing a chakmak over the edge in a manner similar to that used by chefs to steel their knives.

Kukri scabbards are usually made of wood or metal with an animal skin or metal or wood covering. The leather work is often done by a Sarki".Unquote.

For other details see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukri

[sirupate]

My experiences of the Mk4 are on the video posted
Video Mk4