Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting knife - Manufacturing marks and other marks.
 
Text and pictures by
 Olof Janson unless otherwise stated

updated 2009-06-09

 

 

F-S marks.

The most easily recognized trade mark is of course the Wilkinson Sword knives with their Wilkinson Sword logo. Wilkinson had monopole of the "F-S Fighting Knife" mark on their knives.

With regard to marking on Wilkinson FS knives, there was only the Wilkinson Sword logo and the FS logo. NO OTHER marks during World War II production. There were NO inspector's marks or Broad Arrow on Wilkinson FS knives and NO letter or number.

Apart from Wilkinson Sword Company it is in most cases very difficult or impossible to state the manufacturer.

 

There was only the Wilkinson Sword logo and the FS logo on these knives.
There were NO OTHER marks during World War II production on the Wilkinson F-S knives.

There were NO inspector's marks or Broad Arrow on Wilkinson FS knives and NO letter or number.

For some reason, the FS knife was not considered a Small Arm and therefore did not come under the jurisdiction of the CISA (Chief Inspector of Small Arms), Ordnance House, Enfield.

This is confirmed by this letter  by John (Jack) Wilkinson Latham at Wilkinson Sword Company in his answer to a circular from CISA dated 9th Jan 1943.

Courtesy of Robert Wilkinson Latham

 

 

There are different types of etching logos with minor differences used. Here are two different.

 The logos were made by wax pressed on pieces of paper. The paper with the wax was then pressed onto the ricasso before etching. The wax protected the steel and left the letters and logo raised.

To the left a WW2 1st Pattern F-S knife and to the right a 1st Pattern knife from 1990.

 

Paper used for etching of the Wilkinson Sword Company F-S knives.

The normal FS etch on blades was done by women who were usually wives or daughters of men working at the factory.

Courtesy of Robert Wilkinson Latham

 

 

 

Unusual etching

There are several variations of the logo type etchings on Wilkinson Sword F-S knives. It also happened that Sword etch pattern was used. These varied slightly from etching plate to etching plate depending on the regiments, blade type etc as they were all hand done and the design as never ‘regulated’ by the Government. Different makers different designs but they are all similar.

When names or initials were put on FS blades they were normally put on Finished knives but sometimes when knives were not available from stock, the FS etch AND name were done at the same time.

Some of these women used to work pre war in the razor making department. They supplied the FS transfers from the Sword department. When a name was put on, this was done by the Sword department as it was hand lettered usually on a finished blade or knife.

This knife has a very unusual etching as you can see.

Robert Wilkinson Latham told me what most likely happened to this knife.

In this case all the blade etching was done at the same time and the Sword department pulled of a transfer from one of the sword blade plates, cut it down, added the same pattern as a top piece, trimmed it and painted round carelessly with acid resistant paint before etching.

This etching of this knife is unlike the normal FS etch, this made up logo has NO border. It’s just one of those odd things that happened in wartime by someone not used to etching FS blades.
 

Here are the different etchings used by Wilkinson Sword Company 1936-1945
Sword etch 1936-40 Sword etch 1936-40 Sword etch 1940-46
 Courtesy of Robert Wilkinson Latham
F-S etch 1940-45 unusual etching Sword etch Cut and toped
  

Note that the top three are Sword etches, while the bottom left is the basic type of etch used on F-S knives.

This etching of this knife is unlike the normal FS etch, this made up logo has NO border. It’s just one of those odd things that happened in wartime by someone not used to etching FS blades.

There are also knives with etching only on one of the sides. Again it should be referred to the human factor. These people sat all day long putting on transfers and sometimes forgot the other side!

 

 

Different etchings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After 6th  of February 1943 all Wilkinson knives had Black Finnish and the F-S logo appeared like this.

Note the pommel.

F-S logo and Wilkinson logo on a all Black Finnish knife.

 

 

 

 

 

This is an exception – this knife was made by J. & I. Marshall.

According to Ron Flook Marshall’s is along established cutlery retailers with a long history. They have given him the information that the knife most likely was made by J. Clark and Sons. Blade length 6.75 inches and LOA 11.5 inches.

 

A very common mark is the British acceptance mark the Broad arrow . This arrow signifies an item which has been inspected and meets the Government Standards (MoD).

Normally this arrow is accompanied by a letter or number. This letter or number signifies the inspector.

These marks are if they are stamped on the ferrule area of the hilt.
They can also appear on the crossguard.

They are 1.5 mm, 3.1 mm and in some cases 6.3 mm high.

I must however emphasize that there are strong evidence against the theory that the codes represents certain manufacturers.

Ron Flook shows in his excellent book a letter from MoD (Army) Quality Assurance Directorate dated the 7th of October 1981 says:

‘It is not possible to link examination stamps with manufacturers as our examiners could have visited each of several factories over a period of a few months.’

However it is reasonable to believe that knives of similar shape and outer appearance with the same examination stamps come from the same factory.

 

 

Examples of Broad arrow marks 

The MoD examination stamps will also be found on the ferrules or on cross guards. Each code was unique to an individual and one inspector may have examined many companies’ arms. There are many numbers like 1, 7, 9, 15, 56 or B2. These stamps are normally 1.5 mm, 3.1 mm or 6.3 mm high. The smaller sizes are normally found on the ferrule area, while the bigger sizes on the cross guard.

 

 

A proper broad arrow should look like this.

 

Examples of stamps on the ferrule area. 

Arrow over 4 on a Fatman
 

 

 

Picture Roy Shadbolt.

 
Broad Arrow over 4 on a reverse knurrled made by
J. Clarke & Son

Picture Roy Shadbolt.

 

Two F-S knives both with Broad Arrow over 9

most likely made in Sheffield area during WW2

Left reverse knurrled - right Beaded & Ringed

 
Broad arrow (hardly seen)
over 2

Example of cross guard stamp B2 to the right.
The punch has tilted here.

 

I stamp is not Ishapor but the acceptance mark of the India Stores Department, who prewar marked the Broad Arrow and ISD.

During the war any stores for India were marked I

Some World War 2 vintage F-S knives can be found with a stamp ENGLAND on the hand guard.

The stamp ENGLAND was added to the knives after the end of the war by the British.
These knives were sold as surplus to USA 1946. 167 000 knives went as a payment for the credits of war over the Atlantic.

If you find an American Rifleman from 1947 – 1952 you can read advertisements of these knives sold for $2.95 each!

 

The hilt was secured to the tang with a pommel nut. It was fixed by hand on top of the tang.

The extra material of tang was cut outside the nut. Then the nut was put in a vice and the grip was grasped and tightened. After that the blade was put down in a vice with lead lining and the tang was hammered out. The indentation from the vice remained on the nut as seen here on a 2nd Pattern F-S knife.

 

 

Pattern 3 marks.

Note the cast numbers on the hilts and diffrent pommel nuts.
These numbers refer only to the mould used to cast the hilt.

 

On pattern 3 grips which are cast you should find a small number between 1 – 4 cast in the grip.
This number is placed at the other end of the hilt, close to the pommel.

None of these markings indicate anything about who produced the knife.
 

 

Knives used by Canadian forces are often marked with the broad arrow within C

Australian knives are marked with a broad arrow inside capital letter D or one D on each side of the arrow.

 

 

Forming of Commandos
The Shanghai fighting knives
 

There are three basic modells of the F-S fighting knife.
1st Pattern F-S Fighting knife
2nd Pattern F-S Fighting knife
2nd Pattern F-S Fighting Private Purchase knife
2nd Pattern F-S Fighting w/o Wilkinson trademark.
like B2, Fat Man, Reverse Knurling
3rd Pattern F-S Fighting knife
Beaded & Ringed - Roped & Ringed

Steel hilt and Different hilts
Wood handles.

OSS - Stiletto w.'Pancake Flapper' and
US Marine Raider Stiletto

Three Indian F-S Commando Knives

Odd knives
Sheaths
Marks
UK Commando knives; Postwar production

 

The Stalingrad Sword made by Wilkinson Sword.

 

 

I want to give special acknowledgement to these gentlemen,
who helped me in writing this article:

  • Robert Wilkinson Latham,

  • Mike Silvey in USA,

  • Tom Parker in Canada,

  • Roy Shadbolt in USA.

 

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References:
Robert Wilkinson Latham His own web site
Alan W. Locken Commando 1940 - 1945
Robert A. Burlein Allied Military Fightingknives
Ron Flook British and Commonwealth military knives.
Fredrick J. Stephens Fighting Knives
Frank Trzaska The O.S.S. Stiletto - Knife World February 1998.
Frank Trzaska The Raider Stiletto - Knife World July 1997
Kelly Yeaton The First Commando Knives.
John Nowhill & son Sheffield
Michigan knives  
Dr. William Windrum  The earliest commando knivesAllan W. Locken – Commando 1940 - 1945.

 

 

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