Can anyone tell me about this bayonet please

[381st digger]

Can some one out ther tell me any thing about this please i found it in a wood about 10/14 years ago and kind of forgot id got it.
Is it ww1 or ww2?
It has some marks on it and it says wilkinson on the blade.

[StuG III]

If not mistaken it's a M1888 Bayo for the Lee-Metford.
Tom

[Patgore]

Digger:

What you have is a Pattern 1888 bayonet for a Lee-Metford or early Lee-Enfield rifle. They were introduced in 1890 and replaced by the long 1907 WW1 bayonet. Most of these 1988s have brass rivets, but yours seems to be a steel rivet variant....scarcer. Wilkinson was the major maker.

So you're talking Sudan Campaign or Second Boer War, not world war, although during both world wars a lot of old gear was rounded up to train or equip reservists, cadets, LDV and Home Guard.

Actually these are nice bayonets IMO, but when the Short Magazine Lee Enfield was adopted, the War Office paniced...."short rifle...gotta have a long bayonet, just in case an infantryman has to rastle with a big Boche on a horse".

No record of that happening in WW1, so by WW2 even the old Col.Blimps in the War Office had to go along with the short pig-sticker that replaced the long '07.

Hope this helps.

Pat

[381st digger]

Digger:

What you have is a Pattern 1888 bayonet for a Lee-Metford or early Lee-Enfield rifle. They were introduced in 1890 and replaced by the long 1907 WW1 bayonet. Most of these 1988s have brass rivets, but yours seems to be a steel rivet variant....scarcer. Wilkinson was the major maker.

So you're talking Sudan Campaign or Second Boer War, not world war, although during both world wars a lot of old gear was rounded up to train or equip reservists, cadets, LDV and Home Guard.

Actually these are nice bayonets IMO, but when the Short Magazine Lee Enfield was adopted, the War Office paniced...."short rifle...gotta have a long bayonet, just in case an infantryman has to rastle with a big Boche on a horse".

No record of that happening in WW1, so by WW2 even the old Col.Blimps in the War Office had to go along with the short pig-sticker that replaced the long '07.

Hope this helps.

Pat

Thanks for that Pat.
That adds up because the area it was found was used bye the home gard to train in ww2. The rivets are brass i just take a rubbish picture.
Andy

[shadowwolf]

Andy,
Nice find
Regards, Simon.

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Nice find. My cousin found a live grenade in his backyard once. He lived close to a WW2/Vietnam era training ground.

[Paratrooper]

Hello Mate,
It is an 1888 pattern Mk1 Type 2.
There are four variations for this bayonet.
The Mk1 Type 1 having three brass rivets each side of the handle (Rarest) and a small clearing hole behind the rivet closest to the pommel
Yours is the second type again with the clearing hole next to the top rivet drilled through the grip. These were designed for the Lee Metford and the clearing hole was set in its position to accept a cleaning rod located under the muzzle on the Metford. (look into the slot at the rear of your bayonet and you should see a small hole into the handle where the cleaning rod fits into)
The third variation was the Mk2 This looked identical to yours except the Clearing hole was now drilled into the pommel through the metal.
This was because it was used on the newer Lee Enfield (Long Lee Enfield) This rifle looked the same as the Metford but the rifling was the Enfield design.
The cleaning rod was disposed of hence the new location of the clearing hole. This bayonet does not have a hole in the rear like yours.
The final variation was the Mk3 which looked the same as the Mk2 but had screws instead of the brass rivets.
I hope this has given you a little more information.
I will post some photos of my own so you can see the difference (Do not have a Mk1 Type 1 Though)
Regards

Jim

[381st digger]

Nice one trooper. Thanks for that.

[Paratrooper]

Hello Mate,
It is an 1888 pattern Mk1 Type 2.
There are four variations for this bayonet.
The Mk1 Type 1 having three brass rivets each side of the handle (Rarest) and a small clearing hole behind the rivet closest to the pommel
Yours is the second type again with the clearing hole next to the top rivet drilled through the grip. These were designed for the Lee Metford and the clearing hole was set in its position to accept a cleaning rod located under the muzzle on the Metford. (look into the slot at the rear of your bayonet and you should see a small hole into the handle where the cleaning rod fits into)
The third variation was the Mk2 This looked identical to yours except the Clearing hole was now drilled into the pommel through the metal.
This was because it was used on the newer Lee Enfield (Long Lee Enfield) This rifle looked the same as the Metford but the rifling was the Enfield design.
The cleaning rod was disposed of hence the new location of the clearing hole. This bayonet does not have a hole in the rear like yours.
The final variation was the Mk3 which looked the same as the Mk2 but had screws instead of the brass rivets.
I hope this has given you a little more information.
I will post some photos of my own so you can see the difference (Do not have a Mk1 Type 1 Though)
Regards

Jim

War does not determin who wins but determins who is left!

[Paratrooper]

Hello Digger check out my post re the 1888 Patern bayonet (the one you have)

Regards

Jim