Rare Pattern 1899 British Army Gymnasia Sword by Robert Mole & Sons.

Rare Pattern 1899 British Army Gymnasia Sword by Robert Mole & Sons.

The sword does display pitting and surface rust in places. It is, however, complete and intact.  The left ricasso is stamped "3 / 04" (manufacture date : March, 1904), "MOLE, BIRM" (Robert Mole & Sons, Birmingham) with inspection stamps.  The right ricasso is stamped with the War Office broad arrow and an inspection stamp.  Few of these swords remain intact today.

After the Crimean War the British Army and Navy went through a long and gradual process of modernisation and reform. This was a major factor behind the adoption of official regulation practice swords, to equip the new Army gymnasia, and the first regulation 'gymnasium sabre' was approved in 1864. These swords were issued to cavalry troops in order to train them in swordsmanship and came in a number of patterns (1864 Pattern, 1895 Pattern, 1899 Pattern, 1904 Pattern, 1907 Pattern and 1911 Pattern).  These swords were modelled on fencing sabres and this example comprises a fishskin wired grip. The hilt is of perforated bowl type and the blade has a folded button point.   These swords would naturally not have been supplied with scabbards.  The  only differences between the 1895 Pattern and the 1899 Pattern was the perforated guard as seen here and a narrower blade to lighten the sword. Robert Mole and Sons supplied swords and bayonets to the War Office, the Admiralty and the Government of India as well as for private and trade customers from the 1830's through WWI and WWII.

Length : 94cm 

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