WWI 1912 US M1904 Springfield Armory Hospital Corps Machete Bolo Sword Knife 18"

Description

Antique World War I M-1904 US Hospital Corps bolo / machete / knife. Heavy duty, bolo style, round tipped blade. Recurved brass handguard and walnut scales / grip with finger grooves, brass rivets and hole for lanyard loop. Grip is stamped / impressed with the number 11 near the guard and Ryan along one side; the opposite is crudely engraved with the initials JMB. Obverse of blade marked US over serial number 29464. Reverse of blade marked SA (Springfield Armory) over Flaming Ordnance Bomb acceptance stamp and the year, 1912. Brown leather scabbard with brass top and krang style belt hanger; crudely etched with "JMB Ohio." Includes khaki cotton canvas pistol belt.

"The M-1904 was adopted by the US military in 1904, and all of the bolo style knives were manufactured at Springfield Armory, in Springfield, MA. During the production run from 1904 to 1914, some 40,000 Hospital Corps Knives were produced at Springfield. The M-1904 was the first widely issued medical department knife. They were designed for use in clearing brush, cutting field expedient splints, and in some cases, stretcher poles. It was a simple utility machete for the medical corpsman to use. The knives were heavy duty with a 12” long rounded tip bolo style blade that was 2 ““ wide at the widest point and 3/8” thick. The bolo knife had an overall length of 17 “. The knives had a re-curved brass handguard and two piece walnut scales (grip panels), which had 4 finger grooves and Mameluke style curved pommel cap. The scales were secured to the tang by three large brass rivets, and a hole for a lanyard loop was in the pommel cap. The knives were marked U.S. on the obverse ricasso, over a serial number. The reverse ricasso was marked with the Springfield Armory mark, over a Flaming Ordnance Bomb acceptance stamp, over the year of manufacture. The knives were issued with a heavy-duty leather scabbard with a large brass throat. The majority of the scabbards had metal, Krag bayonet style metal belt hangers, but some of the early knives were issued with scabbards that had a simple leather belt loop." (Source: College Hill Arsenal)

Condition

Fair condition- wear/discoloration from use; chunk out of handle; leather could use a cleaning, mildew.

Dimensions

4" x 1" x 17.5" / Blade - 12" / Belt - 45" x 2.25" (WIdth x Depth x Height)