Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knives.

[jim_mi]

Nice chronology, and very informative.

 

Thanks

 

Jim

[52m37]

This is a nice thread and a very nice selection of F-S knives. Thanks!

 

I am not sure what you mean when you say they were to ornate for the job at hand. The knives you show with 'engraving' are Wilkinson made F-S knives and that was their makers mark. Several companies produced these knives during WWII and after. The WWII Wilkinson blades were certainly used in combat during the war.

 

Roy Shadbolt has an excellent site on these knives and he is documenting engraved blades.

 

Here is the link to his site;

 

http://wilkinsonfscollection.com/wilkinson...n.com/Home.html

[gunbarrel]

This is a nice thread and a very nice selection of F-S knives. Thanks!

 

Roy Shadbolt has an excellent site on these knives and he is documenting engraved blades.

 

Here is the link to his site;

 

http://wilkinsonfscollection.com/wilkinson...n.com/Home.html

 

Agree! :thumbsup: Thanks, JS! I will have to take pictures of some of the ones in my collection and add them to your post, as you asked.

[Got da Penny]

Thank You for this thread. Still looking to own my first one.

 

 

I see that you missed the "Rings & Beads" version ..... personally one of my favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adding to JS's great thread, check out this LINK for MORE info and PATTERN breakdown.

 

 

FS Fighting Knife

 

 

Carey

[Sabrejet]

A very interesting and informative thread JS...and a fine collection of blades you have there! :thumbsup:

[Sabrejet]

The gentlemen themselves. Fairbairn on the left, Sykes on the right.

 

[Jack's Son]

Agree! :thumbsup: Thanks, JS! I will have to take pictures of some of the ones in my collection and add them to your post, as you asked.

Please do GB! :thumbsup: There are so many variants, I only covered the ones in my collocation.

[kanemono]

That is a very informative thread. Thank you for posting it.

Dick

[Jack's Son]

This is a nice thread and a very nice selection of F-S knives. Thanks!

 

I am not sure what you mean when you say they were to ornate for the job at hand. The knives you show with 'engraving' are Wilkinson made F-S knives and that was their makers mark...... The WWII Wilkinson blades were certainly used in combat during the war.

I understand your point, but please allow me a bit of 'poetic license' here. The knives are very nicely done indeed, and I have no boubt the they were capable to performing the task at hand. I was just being a bit 'flowery' in thought.

[Sabrejet]

JS...what are the two small leather tabs on the scabbards for? I assume to attach them to something...but what? :think:

[Jack's Son]

Carey,

Thank you for adding the picture of the beaded handle style. I didn't omit them on purpose, I just haven't added one to my collection yet!

I hope other members will add some of theirs.

[Jack's Son]

JS...what are the two small leather tabs on the scabbards for? I assume to attach them to something...but what? :think:

The British camandos worked in plain cloths, or "quiet" field gear, and did not always have belts from which to attach the scabbard. The doctrine of the camandos was stealth and surprise, thus the tabs were sewn onto the scabbard so the knife could be concealed by sewing it in clothing, pack, or blanket, always at the ready, yet unseen.

[Sabrejet]

The British camandos worked in plain cloths, or "quiet" field gear, and did not always have belts from which to attach the scabbard. The doctrine of the camandos was stealth and surprise, thus the tabs were sewn onto the scabbard so the knife could be concealed by sewing it in clothing, pack, or blanket, always at the ready, yet unseen.

 

 

Right...got it. Thanks JS! :thumbsup:

[Got da Penny]

I was just being a bit 'flowery' in thought

 

I would be too, if owned what you have ....

 

also, i didnt know these were in your collection ... "Doh" !!

 

CS

[tsellati]

That is a very informative thread. Thank you for posting it.

Dick

 

+1, a very informative thread indeed.

 

Here is my daughter Alex's commando knife from her collection -

 

 

 

And here is a Marine Corps Raider stiletto from my collection -

 

 

Tim

[Sabrejet]

So, for the benefit of a non-blade man like me, what's the thinking behind that weird "flap-jack turner" scabbard? :think:

[Jack's Son]

So, for the benefit of a non-blade man like me, what's the thinking behind that weird "flap-jack turner" scabbard? :think:

One answer comes from the CIA site quoted below. It is fairly benign, no spy drama here!

"The knives were issued with an unusual “pancake flapper” sheath with an O-ring to hold the knife in place. The slots in the “pancake flapper” made it easy for belts of different widths to be woven through the sheath. At the time, Landers, Frary and Clark were the largest producers of kitchen utensils in America. Apparently the same molds the company used to make its pancake flappers were also used to make the sheath for the Fairbairn-Sykes OSS Stiletto".*

 

 

*https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/fairbairn-sykes-oss-stiletto.html

[Sabrejet]

One answer comes from the CIA site quoted below. It is fairly benign, no spy drama here!

"The knives were issued with an unusual “pancake flapper” sheath with an O-ring to hold the knife in place. The slots in the “pancake flapper” made it easy for belts of different widths to be woven through the sheath. At the time, Landers, Frary and Clark were the largest producers of kitchen utensils in America. Apparently the same molds the company used to make its pancake flappers were also used to make the sheath for the Fairbairn-Sykes OSS Stiletto".*

*https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/fairbairn-sykes-oss-stiletto.html

 

So...a dual purpose scabbard? It carries the blade, then, when you hunker down for the night you can rustle up some pancakes?! American ingenuity par excellence!

[tsellati]

One answer comes from the CIA site quoted below. It is fairly benign, no spy drama here!

"The knives were issued with an unusual “pancake flapper” sheath with an O-ring to hold the knife in place. The slots in the “pancake flapper” made it easy for belts of different widths to be woven through the sheath. At the time, Landers, Frary and Clark were the largest producers of kitchen utensils in America. Apparently the same molds the company used to make its pancake flappers were also used to make the sheath for the Fairbairn-Sykes OSS Stiletto".*

*https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/fairbairn-sykes-oss-stiletto.html

 

 

Wow, what a fascinating piece of information/trivia. I knew about the versatility of allowing different sized belts to be threaded through the top of the scabbard, but I did not know the pancake flapper appearance was due to the fact a pancake flapper mold was used to make them :thumbsup:.

 

Tim

[Jack's Son]

Wow, what a fascinating piece of information/trivia. I knew about the versatility of allowing different sized belts to be threaded through the top of the scabbard, but I did not know the pancake flapper appearance was due to the fact a pancake flapper mold was used to make them :thumbsup:.

Tim

Tim,

I was hoping to make this thread 'informational', but I never anticipated it would become "THIS" informational!

[Lucky 7th Armored]

I enjoyed reading this JS! This is a great thread, i learned a lot!

 

Haydn

[ac106]

What an informative article, its really a great primer on the topics!

 

thanks!

[blitzkrieg gsd]

Nice thread full of good info thanks for posting it. My dad has had two in mint condition since i was a kid but i dont think he has scabards for either. They must be later models cause they dont have the scroll work on them that i remember. Were they being made all threw ww2 and even after? How about during Nam were they still being made then? I ask because dad was a Nam era Marine and i think he was looking for the perfect fighting knife to carry. His knife collection has many Nam era fighting knives including two of these. So im wondering if they are models that were made in the 60s and thats why the condition is so good.

[Jack's Son]

........So im wondering if they are models that were made in the 60s and thats why the condition is so good.

F-S knives were still in use by the US Army special forces during the Vietnam war. In fact, the knife is still issued in several Armies of the world.

[Jack's Son]

My thanks to everyone for all the positive comments. I hope the thread continues to develop as more members add pieces from their collections.