About History: the Bayonet

As Corporal Jones often said in the long-running BBC sitcom “Dad’s Army”: “They don't like it up 'em!” An old soldier, a veteran of the small wars of the British Empire, Jonesy was right, although it must be said that a large quantity of lead balls or bullets to demoralise the enemy always preceded any bayonet charge. From the early 17th- to the early 20th-century bayonets were infantry melee weapons used both defensively and offensively, usually in mass chargers or human wave attacks. Today, they are mostly considered an ancillary weapon, usually of last resort, and are rarely used (if at all). Most bayonets have been consigned to ceremonial duties. 

Early Days

The name “bayonet” is derived from the town of Bayonne in southwestern France, where the weapons were supposedly first used by Basques in the 17th-century. The first recorded use by the British Army was at the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689. The version then used was a plug bayonet (pictured below left) which, as its name implies, fitted into or “plugged” the muzzle of the musket thus preventing it firing. Unfortunately for the Crown forces, the charge of the Highlanders at Killiecrankie proved unstoppable, but just how much the defeat was due to the new bayonet is debatable. For centuries afterward, however, the British soldier became renowned for closing with an enemy and defeating them at the point of a bayonet. Indeed, this so impressed the Ghurkhas of Nepal that they promised their loyalty in battle and their king allowed his soldiers to fight for another crown.

Building a Reputation

The continental wars against the French in the 18th-century turned the British Infantry into a fearsome weapon on the battlefields of Europe and further afield. Trained to deliver three volleys per minute at fifty metres or less and then charging forward with the bayonet, the Infantry routinely demoralised and defeated their opposition. The bayonet had by then developed into a socket bayonet (pictured above right), which fitted over the muzzle and allowed the musket to be loaded and fired. The bayonet had a triangular blade with a flat side towards the muzzle and two fluted sides outermost to a length of 38 cm (15 in). The lack of locking mechanism to securely fasten it to the muzzle meant bayonets were often documented as falling off in the heat of battle.

This design remained almost unchanged until the year 1800 when the rifle was introduced into service. Designed by Ezekiel Baker, the “Baker Rifle” was a flintlock with a rifled barrel used by the British Army, specifically its Rifle Regiments, between 1800 and 1837. The bayonet selected for this new weapon was in the shape of a short sword with a straight 60 cm (24 in) blade (see below). The British had used it in the middle of the 18th-century but discarded it about 1780. The French Imperial Guard and Britain’s Rifle Regiments, however, used a sword bayonet until 1837. To this day, no matter what length of bayonet, the Rifles “Fix Swords”.

During the same period the line regiments of the British Army continued to use the socket bayonet. This style survived the introduction of the rifled musket in 1854 by copying the French locking ring system. The socket bayonet proved its mettle in the Battles of the Alma and Inkerman during the Crimean War (1853-1856) where the Imperial Russian Army learned to fear it.

Scandalous fashion

The Volunteer movement of the 1860s introduced another fashionable trend in bayonet design. Most Volunteer units preferred the carbine of two-banded Enfield Rifled muskets. These were supplied with a sword-like yataghan blade bayonet (pictured) of 60 cm (24 in). Although standard issue for Engineers and Artillery they proved of dubious value.

Many of these were made in Solingen, Germany, an area renowned for producing quality blades, but also from other continental sources. Poor quality control in bayonet and sword manufacture and storage led to the scandals of the early 1880s where bent and deformed weapons endangered British troops as they closed on the enemy (usually African tribesmen at this time). Always ready to lampoon the establishment, a contemporary cartoon in the satirical magazine Punch pictured an infantryman with a bent and twisted socket bayonet standing beside a seated officer holding a bottle of wine. The infantryman says, “Corkscrew sir? Why, my bayonet will serve as any.” Foreign suppliers, rightly or wrongly, took the blame for the scandal but it did result in a major reform of bayonet design and improvements in quality control.

The bayonet for the Lee-Metford Magazine rifle of 1888, for example, was a triumph of quality and effectiveness. As pictured, the blade was a 30 cm (12 in) long, double-edged knife blade, with a knife-type grip that locked under the barrel. It was hollow ground on each side to form a central rib, with the edges and point honed. It was rigorously tested, with one such test involving bending the flat of the blade over a 30 cm radius curve and to have it return with no bend set in the blade.

With modifications and minor design changes, the Lee-Metford bayonet remained in service until 1916 when the Long Lee Enfield rifle was phased out. During this time, Jonesy’ catchphrase “They don't like it up 'em!“ was certainly applicable to the Boers of South Africa, whom the British fought twice [1]. The Boers loathed and feared the British bayonet so, being good marksmen with their Mauser rifles they engaged the British at long range, escaping on horseback as soon as the British closed in. These guerrilla tactics neatly avoided facing “cold steel”.

World Wars

With the Second Boer War concluded reforms of the British Army saw the adoption of the Rifle, Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield (S.M.L.E) No.1 Mark 1 on 23rd December 1902 when it was formally approved and entered into the List of Changes for Materiel (Reference Number 11715). The barrel of the new weapon was 12.7 cm (5 in) shorter than its predecessor [2] so to compensate for a reduced overall length, the weapon’s bayonet was lengthened to 42 cm (17 in). The knife-like, single-edged blade was narrower with a fuller on both sides for much of its length. Copied from the Japanese Arisoka design, it originally had a pronounced forward curving extension of the cross-guard (“quillion”). This supposedly enabled the infantryman to break an opponent’s bayonet blade but was removed from later versions after 1914 when it was noted for snagging on uniforms and equipment. The S.M.L.E remained the British Army’s standard issue rifle (and bayonet) in various Marks and designations from 1908 to the early 1970s.

In 1943, the Lee-Enfield No4 rifle was introduced with a much handier 20 cm (8 in) bayonet. Representing the tactical value of the bayonet and, one suspects, wartime demands on materials, this was a very cheap socket bayonet made of ca. 1 cm (½  in) diameter round steel that tapered to a point. Looking rather like a large nail, it was nicknamed the “pig sticker” in reference to an abattoir's instrument of dispatch. The design was only really useful for stabbing, although, anecdotally, it was rather handy opening condensed milk tins. Some versions were made from good quality materials while others were a cheap, nasty combination of a steel rod and pressed steel.

The revised, simpler design reflects a movement away from employing bayonet charges on the modern, mechanised battlefield. Accordingly, one of the last bayonet charges of the Second World War took place in 1945 during the battle for the Reichswald. One participant remembers that the British were taking cover in ditches and returning fire towards some trenches occupied by German troops, about 200 metres away, when they were ordered to fix bayonets. The individual could not remember an order to charge, or a rush of adrenaline, any yells or bravado, just soldiers getting to their feet and running towards the trenches. As the British closed on the enemy, the return fire ceased as the demoralised German soldiers, realising resistance seemed futile, raised their hands in surrender. Perhaps the mere thought of facing cold steel had indeed hastened their decision to capitulate.

Modern Times

Unlike some other nations, the British have never given up the bayonet. It has remained at 20 cm (8 in) long but with a thin, fullered, bowie-type knife blade. Even the Submachine Gun L2A3 (Sterling) was issued with a bayonet in case the gun jammed or ran out of ammunition. Today, the British Army’s L85 rifle is issued with the socket-type L3A1 Bayonet (pictured). This has a hollow handle that fits over the muzzle, with the blade offset to the left side of the handle, allowing the rifle to be fired while the bayonet is attached. The handle profile also allows the bayonet to be used as a fighting knife, while the blade shape provides good penetration when thrusting. The issued scabbard features a saw blade, a sharpening stone to hone the bayonet, and a bottle opener. When combined with the bayonet, the scabbard can also be used as a pair of wire cutters. While some might argue that this multi-functional nature compromises its effectiveness, it is still fitted to the business end of a rifle and remains the quintessential close-quarter combat weapon.

The effectiveness of the bayonet in close combat was ably demonstrated during the Falklands campaign in 1982. On the night of 11th-12th June, 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) used darkness to close with their Argentine enemy without being seen and engage them at distance. The 3rd Battalion took Mount Longdon and its surroundings after hand-to-hand and bayonet fighting with the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment. The British suffered 23 killed, one of whom, Sergeant Ian John McKay, was later awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross [3]. The Argentinians suffered over 50 dead, with many more injured. The following night of June 13th-14th, 2nd Battalion Scots Guards (2 SG) pushed the 5th Marine Infantry Battalion off the summit and flanks of Mount Tumbledown using rifle and bayonet shortly before the surrender of all Argentine forces. The action cost seven Guardsmen and one Royal Engineer their lives, while 40 Argentinean Marines were killed opposing them.

Thirty years after the Falklands War and British troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan were still using the bayonet to break impasses in combat. To date, it seems the last recorded instance of a bayonet charge may have been in October 2011. A patrol from the 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (1 PWRR) had been dispatched to draw out Taliban insurgents who had been intimidating the population of Karkaran village in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The enemy’s intent had been to enforce a curfew so they could plant improvised explosive devices (IEDs) under the cover of darkness. The PWRR patrol came under a co-ordinated attack from Taliban fighters in what was obviously a well-planned ambush using overwhelming fire from at least three different points. The patrol found cover in a water-filled ditch, but soon realised the Taliban fighters were trying to pin them there and close in. Seizing the initiative, and with two soldiers providing covering fire, Corporal (Cpl) Sean Jones, second-in-command of the PWRR patrol, ordered three men to fix bayonets along with him and together they charged forward. The bayonet charge across 80 m of open ground while still being shot at completely disoriented the Taliban fighters. While the latter attempted to re-engage, unleashing intermittent fire, when the rest of Cpl Jones' platoon arrived, the Taliban were forced retreat entirely. Cpl Jones was awarded a Military Cross (MC) for his bravery in 2012, with his citation saying that he demonstrated “extraordinary leadership in the face of extreme and tangible danger”.

Anachronism?

Since modern weapons can provide an astounding weight of firepower, why do the British infantry still retain their bayonets? In simple terms, used by a trained, determined soldier, the bayonet is capable of inflicting injury or mortal wounds. Yet its value is not just in the physical injury it can do but as a psychological weapon. When a soldier fixes his bayonet and points it at the enemy, that soldier declares his determination to close and kill savagely at close quarters. For most fighters trained almost solely to kill at distance with bullets and shells, then the chilling threat posed by the fixed bayonet may cause many to think seriously about an easy way out. In an age of high-tech weaponry, cold steel still has a terrifying edge.

References:

BBC Archive (2014), “Cold Steel – the History of the Bayonet”, Available online (accessed 8 September 2024).

BFBS Forces News (2020), “The Bayonet Charge That Foiled The Taliban”, Available online (accessed 8 September 2024).

N.R.A.(U.K.) Historic Arms Resource Centre, (2024), “The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Rifle (S.M.L.E.)”, www.therifleman.org.uk, available online (accessed 12th December 2024).

Endnotes:

1. The First Boer War (Afrikaans: Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, lit. “First Freedom War”) was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 between the forces of the British Empire and Boers of the Transvaal (as the South African Republic was known while under British administration). The war resulted in a Boer victory and eventual independence of the South African Republic. The Second Boer War (Afrikaans: Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, lit.  “Second Freedom War”) was fought between 11 October 1899 and 31 May 1902. The conflict once again saw the British Empire opposed by two Boer republics (the South African Republic and Orange Free State) over the former's influence in Southern Africa.

2. The military terminology of the day was “Rifle, Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield” with the punctuation highlighting the rifle was a shortened version of its predecessor the Magazine-fed Lee-Enfield (M.L.E). The latter is today more commonly known, in its various marks, as the “Long” Lee-Enfield.

3. The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.