British WW2 period 1821/56 pattern Royal Artillery officer’s sword retailed by Hobson & Sons, London.
The 865m single edged blade has a flat spine and wide single fuller on both sides, tapering to a spear point. The blade is etched with the winged lightning bolts motif of the Royal Artillery amidst foliate scrollwork. The obverse is etched with scrollwork surrounding the Royal arms and cypher of King George VI (1936-1952) above a field gun. The blade and etching are in good condition. The etching is clear and the blade retains its original polish with some small patches of pale tarnish towards the point and mainly on one side.
The ricasso bears a proof disk containing the word PROVED over a clover leaf. The obverse ricasso bears the cutlers’ details, Hobson & Sons Ltd., 1 Lexington St. London.
The 3-bar steel hilt is in good condition. The original plating is intact, with minor losses on the inner side. The ray skin grip is in good condition as is the twisted wire binding. The steel back strap has a raised crosshatch grip with a stepped pommel and rounded tang nut. The blade is firm in the hilt and retains its leather washer.
The brown leather covered field service scabbard in in good condition and remains strong with the stitching intact. The leather frog strap bears the number 72172 which could be the officer’s service serial number. The mouth of the scabbard is made of German silver. There are minor age and use related scuffs and marks to the leather. The sword sheaths and draws smoothly and is held firmly in the scabbard.
This is a good example of a George VI, WW2 Royal artillery officer’s sword. The frog strap number could be used to identify the original owner of the sword and their military record and rank.
