British 07/13

[ph3s]

Got this bayo on recent fair. Item is in a great condition and not so common, manufactured by 'Chapman'.

There are interesting marks on the scabbard, Australian? or something else pls?

[m3bobby]

Nice 07, the scabbard is a Aussie one, the star may have a A in it and the 3MD is for 3rd military district which i think is Victoria.

[talltom]

m3s right its a aussie scabbard nice pickup better than all the indian ones that have flooded the market recently

tom

[ph3s]

Thanks gents. There is an 'A' in the star. My camera is crap obviously

found it

3rd Military District of the Australian Army in Australia in September 1939

In September 1939, the 3rd Military District of the Australian Army covered all of Victoria. The headquarters for the 3rd Military District was located in Melbourne

[lithgow]

The 'MD' system has been used by Australia for the last century on and off-it's usual to see rifles and other weapons so marked-much rarer to see individual unit markings post 1901 after Federation of the states. Your bayo is marked '07' for pattern 1907 type (a P13 would have 2 grooves either side in the wooden handles) and the 5 & 17 are for manufacture May 1917-the star with an a in it is an early Lithgow SAF inspection mark.

[ph3s]

thank you lithgow, it's just a habit to put a 13 after the slash for 07s to avoid confusion with quillion ones . It was checked for service in 25th as well, the markings on the other side say. Basically bayo itself never been to Australia, right?

[lithgow]

It's possible that it might-there was a great deal of 'mixing' of equipment in WW1 between British and Australian stuff because of recycling and the distance from Australia for resupply of basically identical equipment-also surplus P07 bayos were sent out to the far East during WW2 after the SMLE was largely replaced in British use by the No.4 rifle-Indian and Australian forces continued using the SMLE long after the war.