Description
WW2 British fighting dagger, rare “home front” fighter type with re-purposed sterling silver serving knife handle; great overall condition, considering the age.
Rare WW2 era British “Fairbairn-Sykes” fighting dagger – a scarce “home-front” type with the 3rd pattern FS blade and the re-purposed sterling silver tableware handle. This type was manufactured in the UK circa 1940-1943. Due to the war-time shortages of strategic materials, suitable old cutlery was re-used as handles for fighting daggers as bronze was not always available. This exact “silver tableware handle” fighting dagger type is illustrated on page 281 of the THE MILITARY KNIFE AND BAYONET book by Homer M. Brett – a well-established expert an author of several books on the subject of military edged weapons (see the book’s page scan attached).
The Fairbairn-Sykes stiletto was originally designed as the “commando dagger” for the elite British special-ops forces, these “FS” fighting knives became super-popular with the British and American servicemen stationed in the UK during the war. The allied servicemen carried FS daggers in practically every combat theater in Europe, North Africa and in the Middle East.
This dagger is only slightly used; it is in much better than average condition for the type – rare as such. The blade is gently sharpened; the edges are razor-sharp still; the tip is intact. The handle seems to come off the Victorian-era serving knife. The handle is sterling silver; it is marked with a circular “star” stamp and letters F and Q in a couple of places at the guard. The handle is tight; the guard has a tiny bit of a play. This dagger is about 11-1/4″ / 28.5 cm overall; the blade is about 6-3/4″ / 17.2 cm. The blade has nice original light-gray patina throughout; light pitting on the steel is noted for accuracy. There is no scabbard.
This WW2 British fighting dagger was part of the diverse collection of militaria items that I’ve recently purchased spanning from WW1 to Vietnam War. This personal collection contains many interesting items, some are unique, but there is just too much work to list it all at the same time. Please check out my site periodically for new arrivals; I’ll be listing more items in the next few weeks.
This rare WW2 British fighting dagger has not been cleaned or tampered with in any way, it is in 100% original “as is” condition. These are the actual photos. I have a few more British, Commonwealth, and American WW2 era combat knives and bayonets, as well as several scarce WW1 fighting daggers and trench knives from other countries available for sale – please take a look in our Militaria section.
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FREE USPS PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S FOR THIS ITEM
International shipping for this item will be $42.50 and up to most countries on our “ship-to” list.
