Here we have a delightful piece, a sword carried by Lieutenant Colonel Laurence Francis Garratt, born 1893 in Headington and commissioning in the Royal Regiment of Artillery in 1913 and serving in WW1, the Indian North Western Frontier and WW2, serving in the Royal Artillery till his retirement in 1947.
During his career he served bravely and was a highly decorated officer who in his time was mentioned in dispatches three times across both World Wars, winning the Military Cross, the Distinguished Service Order, the Indian General Service with a North Western Frontier clasp as well as the standard Victory and War medals for both wars alongside the Belgian Order of the Crown.
The sword is a Wilkinson three bar Patent Solid Hilt, one of the highest quality swords available at the time. The sword has a full width tang which gives a blade additional strength in combat and looking at Lt. Col Garratt’s service history it appears he has purchased a high quality fighting sword for Indian service.
The sword has been entirely chromed, possibly done to protect it from the elements in India, the blades etchings can still be seen clearly on the blade.
The swords serial number is 43872.
An incredible sword with incredible history and the sword will come with a copy of the Wilkinson Ledger.
~ Dimensions ~
The blade is 36 inches (92 cm) long.
The sword is 42 inches (107 cm) long.
The sword weighs 1.64 Kg.
~ Condition ~
The sword is in brilliant condition for its age with some minor evidence of the plating lifting.
ref. GS832CD81 / TFWFEOZPQ
