Fairbairn Sykes 3rd Pattern FS Commando Knife by J. Nowill & Sons

Here on offer is a Post War Fairbairn Sykes 3rd Pattern FS Commando Knife made by J Nowill & Sons.

This type has the painted black handle and blued blade finish.

There is some minor loss of black paint on the ribbed grip and this version has the hexagonal tag nut on the top.

The crossguard has some loss of the black finish mainly underneath the crossguard and where exposed the steel has some light surface rust, which would easily clean off.

The blued blade has some overall very light surface rust that I am sure will clean off with some oil and a cloth? It also seem that it still retains its original sharp edges and hasn’t been sharpened.

It also has the maker’s name lightly etched on the blade, which states:

J. NOWILL & SONS
SHEFFIELD ENGLAND
ESTABLISHED A.D. 1700

It also has the Crossed Keys and the Asterik "D" logo.

It is unusual to find examples with the makers name on the blade, most examples seem to have it stamped on the crossguard. I am thinking this may be an earlier piece, possibly late 40’s or early 50’s?

It does retains its original dark brown leather scabbard, with its black metal scabbard tip and elasticated retaining strap at the top.

The BRITISH F-S COMMANDO FIGHTING KNIFE was first issued during World War II to elite units such as the BRITISH COMMANDOS, AUSTRALIAN COMMANDOS, U.S. RANGERS & OSS SPIES etc, and even today is still considered one of the best combat fighting knives of it's type.

This 3rd Pattern F-S knife is still manufactured by the same company today.

The blade measures 6.9” (17.4cm) and the knife itself 11.6” (29.5cm) long.

Inserted in the scabbard it measures 13” (33cm) long.

It weighs 300g.

Please see my pictures for the details of the condition, which complement this description.

Please see my TERMS OF BUSINESS regarding Deliver Charges and Insurance regarding additional insurance cover, should you require it, BEFORE the item is dispatched.

Code: 50060