Description
Title: Swords of the British Army The Regulation Patterns 1788 – 1914
Author: Robson, Brian
Condition: Very Good
Edition: 1st Edition
Publication Date: 1975
ISBN: 853682593
Cover: Hard Cover without Dust Jacket – 208 pages
Comments: The original version of this book, which appeared in 1975, quickly established itself as the standard work on the regulation pattern swords of the British Army. A revised and greatly expanded edition was published by the National Army Museum in 1996.
That edition has now been reprinted to make available again an indispensable guide for both military historians and arms specialists.
This is a beautifully produced – and surely definitive – complete account of its subject. With 235 annotated high quality b/w illustrations and six full colour plates, printed on fine quality paper, it is a volume for any edged weapon or British Army enthusiast to treasure. The text encompasses technical details such as the pattern of swords – and the reasons why certain types were adopted, along with instructions for correctly wearing them. There are descriptions of the use of swords in battle – sometimes described by the swordsman wielding them – such as the gory account of the butchery at Waterloo by Sgt. Ewart who famously charged with the Royal Scots Greys. Sir Garnett Wolseley, the celebrated Victorian General, describes chopping men down from head to waist while serving with the Household Cavalry in Egypt in 1882. There are appendices on marking swords and chronological lists of changing sword patterns.
