The history and variety of swords carried by the British Army is extensive. From the 17th Century to the present day, many different styles and patterns were developed. The history of this development is a story of trial and error, with most testing undertaken on the battlefield, resulting in the avoidable deaths of British soldiers, who were issued with substandard swords that failed in battle conditions.
From the 18th Century onwards, more official oversight of British military swords culminated in the introduction of regulation patterns that required uniform standards of sword blade design and specifications for the strength of blades that included blade strength tests on specially manufactured machines – the Wilkinson Sword Company were particularly noted for their rigorous testing of a military sword blade.
For more information on the history of British military swords please see my new book – The British Sword – From 1700 to the Present Day – An Illustrated History – 12,000 full colour photographs – 884 pages – click on the image for more details.
