British infantry officers' sabers of the 1890s and infantry sabers of 1895. Written by Matt Easton Part 1

The officer's infantry sabre of the 1897 model is often found in modern collectors. It is still the statutory sabre of the British Line Foot soldiers. Such sabers were produced in large numbers, especially during the First World War. For this reason, there are quite a few of them and they are relatively affordable.

Some writers have claimed that this model of saber was the embodiment of the military sword design for foot combat and self-defense. Robson (British Army Sabres) boldly states that "in general, the 1895 model sabre, with its excellent guard (crossbar) and excellent stabbing blade, was undoubtedly the best combat saber ever prescribed for infantry officers of the army, and its theoretical perfection has been confirmed in practice."

Some images of British edged weapons on our website:

But with available sources, it's hard to assess whether this claim is justified. These models of sabers appeared at the very end of an era when sabers were still used on the battlefield, whereas previous models were used for attack and defense around the world in numerous wars and small conflicts. These new sabers would never have gone through such extensive gun ownership, as modern warfare has largely overtaken them.

The evolution of these sabers from the 1892 model to the 1895 model to the final 1897 model has not yet been fully documented and explained in modern publications. The exact details of who exactly inspired and created the various elements of the saber and why have remained unclear. Hopefully this article will go further than ever in addressing some of the issues surrounding the sabers of British infantry officers of the 1890s.

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Over the course of several months, I collected a diverse set of primary sources that describe and explain the development of a new stabbing blade (in 1892) and then the addition of an improved handle design (in 1895 and 1897) for the British infantry. I also included, in the article, historical judgments about the new weapon, as well as historical criticism of the new fencing system that was introduced with it.

The study of weapons and the system intended for their use is necessary to understand the entire context of weapons development. It is therefore hoped that this article will show these swords in a new light and broaden the general understanding of how, why and by whom they were introduced into British service. It is also hoped that the sources presented here will help dispel some of the myths associated with this pattern of the sword and even with Victorian swords in general.

In the 1890s, with the sabers of British infantry officers , there was a rapid series of rule changes . The general movement was from a saber blade for chopping and stabbing blows to a specialized straight stabbing sword.

The release of the new stabbing blade was soon followed by improvements to the handle and grip protection designed to provide better grip and greater arm protection. Some authors have argued that this led to an improvement in edged weapons, comparing it to the 1845 model sabre, although given the completely different context and frequency of use of the sabre in the war between 1845 and 1897, it is difficult to judge from available sources.

The British infantry officer had a standard saber, the design of which had not been officially changed since 1845. The norms allowed for some changes, so some blades were straighter or more curved, slightly longer or shorter, slightly wider or narrower, or simply heavier or lighter. It can be surprising to see how one infantry officer's sabre of the 1845 model can differ from another , both in appearance and even in handling (and therefore in use). One sample of these swords may feel like foil and the other as a hatchet. And this is without taking into account the difference in the quality of materials from different manufacturers. Therefore, it is difficult to make general statements about this sample of the sabre. Some of them cut well, others cut well, there were those that cut and chopped well, and there were those that cut and chopped badly.

By the 1880s, various committees were studying the rules of the British cavalry sabre. A "sabre scandal" broke out in the press over the use of British cavalry swords in the Sudanese campaigns. Gradually, there was a need to revise the design of the officer's infantry saber, which had been used since the Anglo-Sikh Wars and the Crimean War.

Certain voices in both the armed forces and the press have long criticized the sabers of British infantry officers for a number of reasons . Some argued that cutting and stabbing blades were inherently inferior to specialized blades, others argued that the handles and pads (crosses) of the handles were poorly designed. Many critics, in typical British fashion, pointed to foreign weapons that they believed were more advanced, and called for patriotic efforts to give British officers the best. Although many of these armchair critics disagreed about what this best weapon should be. Meanwhile, officers across the Empire and beyond used swords of the 1845 model to defend their lives and take away others.