MARKINGS ON A LANCE HEAD 1868 PATTERN

[kronckew]

'Male Bamboo' is actually a non-hollow slow growing sub-species of Dendrocalamus strictus, andwas much prized for lance and spear shafts in it's range. You can buy seeds online, but they do not grow well in the UK or similar climates.

[asomotif]

Originally Posted by kronckew

'Male Bamboo' is actually a non-hollow slow growing sub-species of Dendrocalamus strictus, andwas much prized for lance and spear shafts in it's range. You can buy seeds online, but they do not grow well in the UK or similar climates.

Growing my own shaft is not an option I see. :-)
Considering I will not use the lance , (frequently ) I think I will go and look for a normal bamboo shaft.

[Will M]

The type of bamboo for lances is "male bamboo" or "Calcutta bamboo".
This type is solid and not hollow and very stiff. The lance heads are numbered for size since bamboo does not grow to one size only.
I've read somewhere (can't recall) that sourcing this bamboo was not always easy to obtain for lances.

[adrian]

But from which country / which producer. any suggestions ?

Best regards,
Willem

Hi Willem, It is looking like India, they used the P/1868 &, comparing it with my two 1915 Enfield made P/1868 lances, if it were English made I think the markings would be different & the boot more pointed. Also it has an Indian (?) numeral engraved on it in one photo.

In another photo I can see that you have a unit marking ??L C 35 by the look of it, this should represent ?????? ?????? Lancers C troop, No. 35.
Can you please post a crystal clear photo of this marking?

As others have noted, male bamboo is solid. The approved P/1868 Lance is 9 foot exactly overall, which includes the head of 12 5/8 inches & boot of 6 13/16 inches.

[Will M]

https://collections.royalarmouries.o...rative-82.html

A good link

[asomotif]

Originally Posted by adrian

But from which country / which producer. any suggestions ?

Best regards,
Willem

Hi Willem, It is looking like India, they used the P/1868 &, comparing it with my two 1915 Enfield made P/1868 lances, if it were English made I think the markings would be different & the boot more pointed. Also it has an Indian (?) numeral engraved on it in one photo.

In another photo I can see that you have a unit marking ??L C 35 by the look of it, this should represent ?????? ?????? Lancers C troop, No. 35.
Can you please post a crystal clear photo of this marking?

As others have noted, male bamboo is solid. The approved P/1868 Lance is 9 foot exactly overall, which includes the head of 12 5/8 inches & boot of 6 13/16 inches.

Here is the enlargement of the marking.

As this is not a priceless relic, I think I will clean it and see if it reveals more details. Any objections to cleaning it ?

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by asomotif

Here is the enlargement of the marking.

As this is not a priceless relic, I think I will clean it and see if it reveals more details. Any objections to cleaning it ?

For me personally, as a historian more than collector, I love patination and dislike burnished metal. My old warriors are darkly patinated and only cleaning with WD40 to stabilize any active corrosion. Cleaning heavily often removes markings in my view. Matter of choice.
The lances I had were with ash shafts, but the others (WWI) period were male bamboo. One had blue and yellow pennon (3rd Skinners Horse).

I had others about 7-8 ft. with bamboo, and these had large lead bulbs at the base I think....these were tent pegging lances, a popular pastime with native cavalry in India.

The WWI lances were I think from the units used in Mesopotamia and other regions. One was Patiala Lancers.

[Will M]

I agree with Jim, leave as is and just stabilize any active rust. The lance head appears to have been cleaned with some type of acid, probably very corroded previously by the appearance of the pitting. Cleaning further will alter or make the markings indecipherable.
Actually lances are not that common and finding the metal parts are difficult, partly due to their length and the ability to post them. Rarely do you find a matching butt for a lance head. India recycled metal and lance parts were no exception.
A proper length ash pole would really make a good lance. White buff leather can be sourced for the strapping. This leather can be sourced from the UK, a cut belt piece should do it.
https://www.identityleathercraft.com...lt-blanks.html
Best to contact the Identity Store for white buff leather they have pieces large and small and belt length

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Will M

The type of bamboo for lances is "male bamboo" or "Calcutta bamboo".
This type is solid and not hollow and very stiff. The lance heads are numbered for size since bamboo does not grow to one size only.
I've read somewhere (can't recall) that sourcing this bamboo was not always easy to obtain for lances.

In my post #2 I noted the 1974 article which mentioned the varying range of bamboo sizes, so they made 7 head sizes and 4 base or boot sizes.
This may have also been in the 1938 book "Sword, Lance and Bayonet", by Ffoulkes.

[kronckew]

Originally Posted by asomotif

Growing my own shaft is not an option I see. :-)
Considering I will not use the lance , (frequently ) I think I will go and look for a normal bamboo shaft.

Europeans used Ash for spears, pikes and lances for millennia. with some artistic skill, you could probably make it look bambooish via staining, at least from a distance, I'm surprised eBay or Amazon do not carry male bamboo for lances.

Anyway, I found a source for y'all who want to be authentic: http://www.calcuttabamboopole.com/poles.html

Minimum order 3000 pieces, If your cavalry is more numerous, there is a max of 30000 pieces.

Apparently still used for fishing poles and fencing in India. Maybe available in smaller quantities elsewhere, I leave it to you to do the more extensive googling as I do not need any.

[asomotif]

Wow, this thread is fun. If only for all the info and links.

Male bamboo from India. I will contact them to see if they have a representative or importer in Europe.

I already found that ash poles of upto 12 ft can be found rather easily.

Best regards,
Willem