~ Rare War World War 1 Pritchard Greener Type Webley Revolver Bayonet ~
The guard is stamped P over No 1 and T over 13/16
~ Development ~
The designer of this bayonet was Captain Arthur Pritchard. His idea was to create a small bayonet, made from the tip of the 1897 Infantry Officer’s sword. The problem Wilkinson Sword had at that time was that it was already producing the 1907 bayonet for the SMLE rifle as well as the 1908 Cavalry Trooper’s sword. It was seen as quite impractical for them to cut down existing swords not to mention the cost of labour involved in assembling these bayonets. Pritchard’s idea was too difficult for them to achieve at this time.
Pritchard’s bayonet instead was produced at Greener’s, a rival of Wilkinson Sword. Much of their business was reconditioning obsolete weapons. The company had a surplus amount of Model 1874 Gras bayonets, which were used in place of the 1897 sword tip. Although the manufacture of the bayonet was labour intensive the cost was cut by recycling the Gras bayonets.
~ Use And Effect ~
The Pritchard-Greener bayonet was never a standard issue of the British Army. It could be purchased privately, by officers and would probably have been a useful addition to trench raiders, to use in close-quarter combat. Few were made and no evidence exists to prove they were used in the trenches. However, one can imagine the psychological boost it would have provided men leaping into enemy trenches from No-Man’s Land. It would also have served as a potentially useful backup weapon, if the revolver misfired or ran out of ammunition.
~ Dimensions ~
It weighs 360g and has an overall length of 32cm (12.5 inches) with a 21cm (8 inches) blade.
~ Condition ~
The blade is clean and free from nicks, the brass shows signs of service wear and the spring moves sweetly.
