EL6321 - A good Wilkinson light cavalry officer's sword, bearing the officer's initials and crests. Numbered 31857 (for 1892), no name is recorded in the Wilkinson record for this blade, but from the initials and crests I firmly believe this to have been the sword of Charles Lionel Ward-Jackson, who served in both the 2nd Anglo Boer War and WW1, and went on to become a Conservative MP and enemy of Oswald Mosley. I have attached an image of the church memorial to Ward-Jackson, where you can clearly see the two same crests at the top, and the initials on the blade are CWJ. In addition, the sword date to 1892 and indeed Ward-Jackson commissioned into the Princess of Wales' Own Yorkshire Hussars (Yeomanry) in October 1892. In my mind there is no question over the attribution. Ward-Jackson served for a while in the Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry and then retired, but he volunteered for service when the Boer War started and served with the Imperial Yeomanry in South Africa, being twice Mentioned in Despatches. He again signed up to serve when WW1 started, and served in France with the cavalry and also as a staff officer. The nickel-plated steel blade is in good condition, with some areas of loss to the plating, with intricate etching remaining clear and defined. The blade is firm in the hilt. The hilt, also plated, is mostly bright, with some stippling through to the underlying steel in places (these are the tiny dark spots you see in the photos, where the steel shows patina through the plating). The shagreen and grip wire is good, and the leather washer remains intact. All solid and sound, and in good overall condition, with wonderful provenance. You can read more about Charles Ward-Jackson here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ward-Jackson
