[Chris Manuel]

Hello,

I hope you do not mind my posting of this enquiry here…

Many years ago (30 years), I managed to acquire a large number of military artifacts from a decedent of a loyalist who settled in the St. Lawrence River valley. He had cleared out a relative’s old barn and had found a small cache of edged weapons including what I think is a Brown Bess bayonet, several styles of triangle bayonets as well as cruciform ones. There were three sword bayonets including one French one from the 1860s, a later period bayonet/knife, a spear head from Africa and three sword blades. One blade was broken above the tang and, from what I know now, likely came from a rapier (it was a rather thin blade, with a thick cross-section and three fullers running near the length of the blade). There was a small sword blade as well; broken in the tang (it was blued, with a thick back edge and a large fuller, sharpened throughout its length). Unfortunately I have lost these over the years. But I have retained the third blade (see attached images). My enquiry is in relation to this blade.

Blade characteristics: it is 31.75 inches long (base of blade to point), with a longish tang – 6.5 inches. There is some type of maker’s mark at the base of the blade (something like D REE or D REX). It is a thin blade with a very narrow cross section. I had initially thought it to be a Scottish basket sword blade, but I now think it is too light to be one – these tended to be heavier in the cross-section. While the blade is in rough condition, I would like to mount it in an appropriate hilt reproduction and, to do this; I would need to identify the type of sword the blade belonged to.

Does anyone have an inkling of the type of sword this blade is from and/or country (I had initially thought England, but given the geographic diversity of the weapons in the cache – England, France, other European countries, Africa…)? Is it indeed a basket hilt? Or, a mortuary sword, rapier, etc. I am pretty certain a large number of the artifacts were booty/souvenirs from a member of the Canadian contingent that fought in South Africa in the Boer War.

Your help would be appreciated.

Cheers!

[Sam Barris]

I don't think your pictures made it in.