Quote:
Originally Posted by David R
They had both, the tang finished with a tommy bar screw cap so the guards were interchangeable. Why the cross guard for field use, because in modern warfare (post 1890's) an officer had more than enough encumbrances and few to no opportunities for a sword fight.
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The last (?) person to deliberately carry a Scottish
Basket Hilt sword into battle, was probably Col. 'Mad Jack' Churchill, in WW2, who carried his ashore on the raid he led in Norway, sword in hand as he hit the beach, followed by his Piper playing the bagpipes. He actually captured a whole passel of Germans with it. He also killed a German sergeant with an English longbow, but that's another story. He could, and did, fill a few books about his exploits.