Pinning a commencement date down for those late-war knives with the thinner machine-ground blades is never going to be easy but based on manufactures records and also MoS purchase contracts I believe this would have been around February/March of 1944. $89.95 + shipping. The latter design being the less often encountered of the two but worth noting none the less. Please note all sales are final and deposits are non refundable. Meet The Squander Bug. The pommel is marked with the mold letter 1 confirming that this is a war time produced dagger. No pitting, slight corrosion in spot where blade meets guard. 2nd Pattern Fairbairn Sykes 'FS' Fighting Knives were introduced in 1941 (see page 89-93 of The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knife & Other Commando Knives By Flook. Fairbairn Sykes Commando presentation knife … Part Two will focus on the ‘late-war’ knives; those manufactured from approximately February 1944 to war’s end and are fitted with much thinner (machine-ground) blades. Shown here is the official military ownership/inspection marking for those Third Pattern F-S Knives supplied by Wilkinsons for the Indian contract of 1943. One of a number of such orders this company received. This approach would inevitably result in the ‘late-war’ Third Pattern F-S along with reduction not only in blade thickness but overall quality. Fairbairn Sykes 3rd Pattern SAS Commando Knife Review. Fairbairn-Sykes 3rd. The grip area that was previously machine-knurled was redesigned and now featured 27 concentric rings as an integral part of the casting. Including the blade thickness the other dimensions remained consistent with its predecessor. Wire and tubing are “drawn” but not knife blades. Knives with both bright and black blades were made … I am not sure if they were plated when they were built, plated later, as over-runs of war production, or long after the war. This is an original, WW2 2nd pattern, B2, FS dagger and scabbard to a named RM Sgt carried by him throughout WW2. This price (8/9 & 8/10) remained constant for the remainder of 1944/5 and was paid to a great many companies that supplied F-S Knives. However with that possibility aside and using the nut as part of the whole picture, it is certainly a detail that can be included in a more holistic approach to isolating a particular knife or knives for study. Note that the example carrying the mould number ‘3’ is in this case a mid-war knife, the pommel nuts on all the other (late-war) knives being visibly different both in form and size.]. Although we do have a reasonably accurate date for when the initial production of the Third Pattern started (October 1943), this date was clearly for those mid-war knives produced by Wilkinsons. All four rip mould-numbers are shown here, 1 through 4. One rather rare exception was J. Clarke & Son. Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife [3rd Pattern] description Physical description. This is based on a number of circumstantial details that I have observed over many years of research and study. Please note that the 4th Pattern FS dagger is currently only available to the defence industry and its personnel. You can also get knives just for display in sterling silver. The F-S fighting knives are some of the most collectable and their value holds. Perhaps the most often-encountered pommel nuts are those with a ‘domed’ shape. They can be picked out by their broad blades, with poorly defined median ridge and clumsy, thick leather sheaths. This mark is most often encountered on Second Pattern F-S Knives and indeed in this respect is the most common marking found on any war-time F-S. $1,000.00. Custom Handmade D2 Steel Hunting Fairbairn Sykes Knife with Wood Handle. The Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife was no exception. The knife in question is a well known copy style, has a fake fat-style 2nd pattern handle, a fairly obvious copy-cat fake etching which is stamped not etched - glad you only lost a few dollars. For collectors, Third Pattern knives with heavy blades are always more desirable. WW2 Fairbairn Sykes dagger British 3rd pattern, blued blade, original leather scabbard included. As stated this mark is perhaps the most common of all inspection marks so why one would choose to fake it is beyond me, perhaps the over enthusiastic descriptions by some dealers and internet auction sellers have unwittingly convinced some individuals into believing it is worth faking? The fact that many of these knives carry the U.S. import mark is evidence that they originated in military stores and were originally government property. It has a 177mm long double edged blade with medial ridge. Article about: Hi gents, I've just been offered this knife, and as it's a bit out of my area I am needing a little experienced assistance. By lawrence_n in forum Edged Weapons Forum Replies: 4 Last Post: 06-16-2018, 11:19 AM. Late WWII issue British Fairbairn Sykes fighting, commando knife 3 rd pattern with leather scabbard. The brass nut at the top shows no signs of ever being loosened. This handle with 27 concentric rings deviates from the original composition of F-S knife. The Fairbairn Sykes Fighting Knives: Home Page WW-II Commando Knives > > > > ... has had the cylindrical top nut of the standard version replaced by a smaller diameter top nut like those used on many 3rd pattern knives. The Wilkinson Sword Third Pattern Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife . The Old and the Bold: Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife. Wilkinson was approached and asked to fill an order for 2,500 knives on the 17th December 1943. One sample knife was made up to try out the idea (see Knife World May 2010 “ A 1943 Wilkinson Experimental Fairbairn Sykes Knife”). The Wilkinson First Pattern F-S was conceived on Monday, 4th November 1940 at a meeting held at the office of the managing director of Wilkinson Sword Co. Ltd, John (‘Jack’) Wilkinson-Latham. Further reading. $459.95. From surviving records we know that there was an express request stating that “In order to expedite this order, no additional markings such as Trade Mark etc., are required.”. In fact, many other variations of the F-S have been noted with this import mark. Unfortunately these gaps allowed dirt, blood and other fluids to enter and perhaps cause corrosion in an already weak area. The last number in this series (13) is often mistaken for ‘15’ but all examples that I have examined have been ‘incorrectly’ identified as ‘15’, when looked at under magnification they do indeed turn out to be ‘13’.