Cogswell & Harrison was established in May 1770 and is London’s oldest surviving gun maker. The company has manufactured an exceptionally diverse range of sporting shotguns and rifles during its long and colourful history. In 2008 the company was purchased by the Brennan family, the proprietors of Ardee Sports Company. During WW1 the company made private purchase edged weapons for British Officers. The hilts on early variants varied depending on the special order of the customer before becoming standardised plain wood hilts as the war progressed. We have never seen this hilt variant on one of these knives (see pages 120 & 121 plate 273 of British & Commonwealth Military Knives By Flook where a later plain hilt variant of these knives by Cogswell & Harrison is illustrated). Our knife has a 6 ½” long double edged dagger blade with medial ridge and large shank at the hilt. The blade has a shallow chip to one side of the cutting edge and it has just light staining consistent with age and use. The shank is signed by the maker ‘Cogswell & Harrison Ltd Gunmakers London W1’. It’s special order hilt is leather bound wood. The mid section has a colourful celluloid band ‘translucent red edged with green’. The pommel is unbound. It has a steel re-curving cross guard & the dagger measures 10 ¾” overall length. Its original brown leather open top scabbard has a single belt loop and correct 2 rivets at the throat. All leather & stitching of the hilt & scabbard are intact. The price for this rare WW1 fighting knife includes UK delivery. Sn 22235 (FS box)
£975.00