Hi Thinredline, here is a couple of my old WW2 IA kukri;
A great photo of two Gurkhas in Italy with their IA issue kukri;
Close up of the kukri
The type of kukri carried
For information regarding the numbers on your kukri, I would try David Harding via the Gurkha Museum in Winchester, if you send good quality photo's to them that is who they would use. He is a a top chap and the GM's weapons expert, as well as being the 10th GR historian.
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Spiral; Despite Simons statement ,Some battalions still made or bought thier own kukri during ww2 due to supply difficulities during ww2 with the main pattern kukri.This is well documented.
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Proof of documentation please Jonathan.
The problems of supply in WW2, are well recorded, for example at Quetta (pre-1947 in India, now Pakistan) the 8th GR centre, by Autumm of 1943 they had an influx of 6,000 Gurkhas (mainly recruits), and although supplies had improved, they only had three rifles per five men, one LMG per platoon and so on.
The supply problems also probably account for the variations in the 8th GR kukri blade styles that occured, which was probably the result of the regiment having to use various manufactures to meet the demand of supply. It would also account for a lot of 8th GR kukri in WW2 not being armourer marked, if you can imagine from recruiting a few score of men (score=20) a year to a few thousand, some overload, plus of course the supply problem that were involved as well, along with the fact that most of the armourers were away with the active Battalions.
Major-General M. Callan (WW2); recalls “I am sure I wore a kukri in combat uniform (jungle green), a Quarter Master (QM) issue like everybody else in the battalion, which must have been 90% ‘hostilities only’ enlistments apart from only one BO (the CO) and GOs and older ORs from pre-war”.
Captain McCalla (WW2) ‘All men carried regulation IA kukris’
Captain Bhaktasing; "They were not issued kukri while they were recruited in the recruiting centre. A kukri was issued for jungle training phase after he completed basic training that was not as smooth as nowadays.
He has had taken the kukri with him after his completion of training and posted to the regiment 2 GR"
Major Deny’s Drayton (7th GR WWII) who ended up at Monty Casino, said;
"That Gurkhas only carried IA issue kukri"