EL6911 - A pre-1896 Heavy Cavalry officer's hilt, mounted with a George V (WW1) 1892 pattern infantry officer's blade (numbered 52441). Unfortunately the Wilkinson record is blank for this blade proof number, so no clues as to its history there. The hilt is Victorian pre-1896 for a heavy cavalry officer. Presumably this marriage of blade and hilt, presumably done by Wilkinson, was due to the officer wanting this specific hilt for some reason. So where they a cavalry or infantry officer? It's very hard to say, but I suppose one possible explanation is a cavalry officer wanting a sword for use on foot, when his regiment were ordered into the trenches. Sadly, we will never know for sure. The blade is Wilkinson's usual great quality, though repeated polishing during its life has left the etching rather buffed out in places. The blade is firm in the hilt. The guard has patina and light pitting, while the shagreen is quite good on the grip and all the wire is intact. Complete in a field service scabbard. Feels good in the hand and in my opinion a more attractive end product than the normal 1897 pattern infantry officer's sword.
