EL6226 - This is a good condition and attractive 1897 pattern infantry officer's sword, retailed by Hobson and made by Pillin, etched to the 5th Battalion 'The Border Regiment'. Carrying the officer's initials etched on the blade "R.B.". I believe that this means it must have been the sword of Captain Robert Curwen Richmond Blair, who fought and died in WW1, winning the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).
While Blair served and died under George V, he had commissioned into the regiment in 1908, hence the Edwardian cypher on the sword. The blade has been service sharpened for WW1. The blade is in good condition, bright and with crisp etching, firm in the hilt. The plated steel guard is in good condition, with almost all of the plating intact and bright - there is a little bubbling to the plating in plates, but it is stable and secure. The rest of the hilt is also in good condition with nice shagreen and wire. A good quality and condition sword, with good provenance.
